


That Which We Are

by slowmobanana



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Dog!Miles - Freeform, Gen, Hybrid!AU, Not Relationship-Centric, Rabbit!Ray, cat!Michael, cow!Ryan, hawk!Gavin, lion!Jack, macaw!Meg, mouse!kerry, ram!Geoff, wolf!Dan
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-02
Updated: 2014-10-05
Packaged: 2018-02-07 03:38:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 40,411
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1883907
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slowmobanana/pseuds/slowmobanana
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>They couldn't live in peace forever. Hybrids had been hidden from the world, forced into silence out of fear of the Government stealing them away. A peaceful life was easily attainable enough, provided they hid their traits. But when Gavin is taken by the men in black suits, Dan sets off on a journey to save his best (and only) friend. His only leads are his Dojo instructor and the company called Rooster Teeth – who's only mission is to bring equal rights for Humans and Hybrids alike – to find and bring Gavin home.<br/>However, there may be more at work than Dan realizes... There are secrets hidden from the world. And, more importantly, there are secrets hidden from him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Harmony (and Melody)

**Author's Note:**

> This is a story for me to work on while I figure out some kinks that I sort of...messed up on in The Journey of Pimps, which I promise a new chapter is coming out soon, I'm just...a loser. Also, not enough Dan-centered fics so I thought it would be cool to have one where he's the protag for once. Also, there may be some changes or guesses in terms of what sort of Hybrid certain people are, but, yeah.  
> Anyways, on with the story!

Music wasn't exactly Dan's forte, but he understood the difference between harmony and melody. Harmony was a collection of tracks that, when played together correctly, created a much more beautiful song than when the tracks were played alone. Melody was basically the opposite of that. Tracks could also be beautiful, too, when they were played alone. After all, it took nice tracks to make a nice song, but there was a sort of amazement in harmonies, even if it was just between two instruments.

And such Dan applied to life.

Since the day he was born, he had been taught that hybrids were meant to be hidden, to stay silent, to exist only as humans could. It was drilled into his brain time after time that hybrids and humans were two tracks that could not form a harmony. They should not form a harmony. Only one melody could exist and that melody belonged to the humans.

It was a really dumb comparison and he had come up with it in his early High School years during some class he wasn't paying attention in. He somewhat had Gavin to thank for that, since the blond tended to ramble about unimportant stuff. He had been talking about Melodies and Harmonies, which he learned off the internet (only because he wanted the right terms to use when bashing on a popular song that just seemed to rub him the wrong way). “Some of the, uh, waddaya call 'em... I guess Tracks, yeah? They make some really good Harmonies if you mix them right, but some melodies just aren't meant to make harmonies. That's why this son' sucks so much. I 'ate it, personally.”

“Kinda like hybrids and humans, yeah?” Dan whispered back, hiding his voice so no one would hear except Gavin.

His friend went quiet, struck by the truth of the statement – and yet he brushed it off. “Yeah, I guess... But seriously, this song should get rid of itself.”

While it was the last they spoke of hybrids and humans in the terms of melodies and harmonies (nothing so horribly wrong should be compared to something so beautiful), it was not the last they spoke of the wish for equality.

For a very obvious reason, Hybrids were told to stay quiet about their traits. “If you tell anyone about your ears, Daniel, then you'll go away, and we don't want you to go away.” His mother said that a lot to him, but he never understood why until he heard about a girl in his Kindergarten class who was seen being escorted by two men in black suits into a car while her parents cried from their doorstep.

Dan never heard of that little girl again but he knew she was a hybrid. The story scared him so badly that he tried to pull the wolf-like ears off his head and his tail from his back, with no avail. It just hurt a lot so Dan stopped and hid them as he always had.

When he met Gavin in first grade, they had become friends rather quickly. He was attracted to the high-energy boy who could talk forever once Dan got him started. He did enough talking for the both of them, which was fine by Dan because he wasn't much of a talker anyway. In the end, Gavin ended up forcing Dan to answer questions and to pull stupid stunts while he recorded them on a small camera.

“Why do ya wear that hat all the time, Dan?” the curious blond asked one day.

“'Cause I like it,” was his half-rehearsed reply.

Gavin shrugged it off as a normal reply and returned to instructing Dan to [attempt] a cartwheel for him.

Through first, second, and third grade, Gavin and Dan had formed a small friendship and came accustomed to calling each other B because they heard some of the older kids call each other so. While they did have other friends outside of each other, they much preferred each other's company outside of school.

Only did their bond grow when Gavin unveiled his wings to Dan. It came so suddenly and Gavin was uncharacteristically shy about it. Dan knew that he, too, was scared of the stories the other kids told them. By fourth grade, at least six other students had been swept away by black suits and black cars and never seen again. All of them, of course, were Hybrids.

“Dan, can I tell you somethin'?”

“O' course, B.”

“You promise to keep it a secret?”

“Yeah.”

And Gavin disappeared into his room. Dan waited outside, though he wasn't uncomfortable because it wasn't the first time Gavin had forced him to wait outside the door while he changed out of wet and dirty clothes into fresh ones. Though, he was anxious to know what the secret was and he waited patiently outside the door. “Alright, come in!”

Dan opened the door, swinging it wide open, only to stop dead in his tracks. Gavin had his bare back to him but two extra appendages folded out from the shoulder blades and stretched in a full-wing span. They were young yet and still gaining their feathers but golden brown and nicely patterned all the same. He stared at the other for a long time, shocked into silence.

A hybrid. Gavin was a hybrid. Some kind of a bird with golden brown wings, and Dan stood in the doorway with his jaw hanging open. “Well, are you gonna say somethin'?” the boy asked, unnerved by Dan's silence.

Dan hesitated for a moment, then shut the door behind him. He didn't really need to say anything and instead he felt it was appropriate to pull his beanie off his head to reveal the wolf-like ears on the top of his head. He even pulled down the back of his jeans to bring out his tail and grin at Gavin, who seemed more impressed than shocked.

After that, they would meet regularly at Gavin's house to play video games. In the revealing of Gavin's secret, the blond seemed to take joy in discarding his shirt as soon as they were shut away in their room to let his wings stretch. He would pull Dan's hat from his head and they would just play video games all day.

As they got older, their traits matured with them: Dan's canines came in quickly, practically overnight, and smiling or snarling would reveal his traits too easily. Slowly, the bright grin began to fade into a close mouthed smirk and he barely opened his mouth to speak Gavin had developed a bird-like squawk whenever he laughed or screamed and his wings grew in size, becoming more and more difficult to bind. When he laughed or cried or even breathed deeply, his ribs would pull against their restraints and pull his wings too close into his body, and Gavin would wince and groan.

His bright and fun-loving character could not take the bounds and Dan was sure everyone was mildly aware of what Gavin was trying to hide.

The whole humans and hybrids thing was a strange concept because some humans, upon discovering a hybrid, would ignore their traits and pretend they never saw them – because no one liked a snitch. Some humans couldn't tolerate hybrids and would call the police or the authorities or anyone to have them taken away.

It was hard to tell who they could trust. One boy ratted out his best friend for being a hybrid when they were half-way through High School, having been close friends since Elementary. Some people didn't care. Some people cared a lot.

It was Gavin's bright idea to bike out to a secluded area because he wanted to “try out” his wings. It never dawned on Dan that Gavin had never tried flying before. Where would he practice? If the neighbours saw them in the backyard, they might call the black suits. If anyone saw him, they might call the black suits. Where would he go? What would he do?

Sometime after his thirteenth birthday, Gavin's parents decided he was old enough to go outside on his own with his friends. The very first thing he decided to do was to drag Dan out to an empty field as far from civilization as possible. As soon as Gavin decided they were far enough out, he tore off his shirt and his restraints.

He looked back at Dan once as the wolf hybrid set down his bike in the dirt. Dan returned the gaze and smiled encouragingly at the other. Gavin grinned, looked forward, then jumped. He beat his wings once, twice, taking to the sky in a flurry of feathers. He only made it five feet off the ground before he panicked and he dropped ungracefully.

Dan burst into laughter, his canines showing themselves in his holler. Gavin sneered playfully and tried again.

His life became a broken record from that point; school, Gavin's house, the field, home, sleep, rinse, repeat.

Sometimes, Gavin would record Dan on his camera and tell Dan to do something for him. He would do a somersault or a cartwheel or let Gavin hit him in the face with a soccer ball. At some point, Gavin got into slow motion cinematography and Dan into various fighting styles. Mostly, it grew out of paranoia because he could never tell when those black suits would come to whisk him away to where the other children were.

He at first tried to learn from the internet only be confused by what the various sites were telling him. For a short while, he settled for simply trying to do as many push-ups and sit-ups and squats as he could every night until he found it physically impossible to do so. He quickly took to pacing himself and decided to attend a nearby Dojo.

At the Dojo, Dan met one Monty Oum, a rather young but talented instructor. It wasn't until Monty discovered (on accident) Dan was a hybrid that he agreed to steadily teach the wolf how to fight. (For whatever reason, Dan's secret seemed to make Monty like him more.) Dan was sure Monty was a hybrid, too, but it hidden well enough for Dan not to figure it out.

A million videos, several belts, and almost five years later, Monty approached Dan with a proposition. “There is a group out there who want to help hybrids and humans live in harmony.”

“I'm not interested,” Dan replied curtly and Monty never brought it up again.

Dan brought Gavin to the Dojo because he wanted his friend to know how to defend himself in the event the black suits came for him or Humans decided to pick fights with the different. Monty could be trusted. Gavin needed to learn, but Gavin was not as built for the activity as Dan was. Dan's wolf-alike qualities made him much stronger, much faster, and gave him an advantage over all the other students. By this time, Monty told him he could be a black belt but the ceremony of it was postponed to prevent suspicion.

Once, Monty approached Gavin out of Dan's earshot. Once, Gavin nodded. Thrice, Dan was suspicious of the exchange but was leased when Gavin agreed to continue the lessons despite his lack of talent. Sometimes, they would spar in Gavin's backyard (with the obvious winner being the ever polished Dan) and sometimes they would make videos and sometimes they would play video games.

Dan wasn't sure when but Gavin (and Monty, to some extent) had become his only friend. But he was alright with that, because for as long as he had his B, everything would be okay. He didn't need Harmony between the Humans and the Hybrids to live peacefully. Life was fine as it was right now.

Gavin worked at a supermarket down the street. Dan was working towards being an instructor at the dojo. They moved in together to make paying for rent, among other bills, much easier and they could still do all the things they did together; make videos, spar, play video games, stretch their legs and relax around each other.

For five years, this was their reality. This was their peace. This was their harmony. Gavin could fly as high as he wanted and Dan would not be afraid to smile. The hybrids could live amongst the humans.

And then the black suits came.

... 

It was a two bedroom apartment with a single bathroom, a kitchen, and a shared living room. It was small and inexpensive, but it suited them quite fine for the time being, even if they had a tendency to run into each other in the kitchen from time to time from the lack of space. They had a gaming system set up in the living room, and they each had their own Xbox so they could play online together. This place was home.

It took Dan a long time to adjust to sleeping with sensitive hearing. Sometimes, he would sleep soundly through the night. Sometimes, he would sleep lightly. Sometimes, he couldn't sleep at all because of the noise. Sometimes, he would wake up and not know what had woken him up.

Tonight, it was the last.

Groggily, the wolf rolled over onto his side and groaned. He had been awake for several seconds before realizing it and then he opened his eyes, pawing at his face, and yawned. He turned onto his back and stared at the ceiling, his vision slowly focusing and he slowly waking up.

With a sigh, he turned his head to glance at the clock, which glared a red _5:28_ at him from across the room atop his dresser. The room was dimly lit, signalling the beginning of morning. He had awoken two minutes before his usual alarm went off. While Dan was an early riser, Gavin always slept until in the late afternoon.

He frowned a bit then decided it was best to get moving now. He kicked his feet over the side of his bed, throwing his blanket against the wall. He switched off the alarm before it had a chance to go off, smacking his lips to get the morning taste from his mouth.

For breakfast, he cooked himself scrambled eggs and burnt two slices of toast, eating silently in the kitchen with only the sound of ticking from the wall clock. After eating, he returned to his room and dressed in comfortable attire, kicked on some running shoes, and left the apartment for a jog.

He remembered his black beanie and his MP3 player before leaving the house and tucked his tail around his hip so it was hidden under the brim of his loose jacket. He skipped down the four stories to the ground floor and burst out the front door. Over the low, dark brown picket fence, he could see the elderly lady who would sit outside on the back porch and read her bible with her old, loyal dog laying by her feet. He waved to her and she waved back, as they did every morning, then he started to jog around the block.

The morning was a little chilly but it was welcomed as his temperature rose with the exercise. Dew was still settling on the leaves of trees and on grass blades. Hardly any cars passed him on the road, save for a red hatchback and a black sedan.

He switched on some upbeat music and slipped in his ear buds, picking up the pace as he ran his usual route. He was debating making it a little longer because he had adjusted to the route and stopped running out of breath when he returned to his apartment. Monty always warned him to pace himself and that exhausting himself did not always mean progress. Sometimes, it was best to exercise without exhaustion. Readily, Dan listened.

His jog was timed for a good thirty minutes, which was much more time than usual. He wondered when it was he had slowed down.

The elderly woman was no longer on her back porch, which struck Dan as odd because she would sit there all morning reading her bible, enjoying the brisk morning air while it lasted. Today, he supposed, she decided not to and went inside, probably to feed her dog.

Quietly, he went inside and started up the steps, beginning to feel the toll of his run, although just barely. For a moment, he swore he heard talking. He dismissed it, then realized he had actually been right. He payed the conversationalists, who were whispering to one another from the third floor, no attention and simply skipped up to the fourth floor.

When he turned the corner to the hall where his apartment was, he was stopped dead by an unusual sight; many people gathered at the end of the hall, woman whispering to each other and children peeking out from behind the apartment doors. There was only a handful of confused men who could only shrug to each other and usher their wives back to their home.

At the sight of Dan, a woman – their neighbour – gasped quite loudly and all attention was turned to the man at the end of the hall. The wolf peered down the hall at his door, which was slightly ajar and his heart leapt into his throat. The neighour's wife began to spout gibberish at him – or at least it came to his ears as gibberish – as he hurried to his apartment door and tested the hinges with a tentative push.

Inside, it was easy to tell the room had been tampered with. While the furniture was still upright some of it had been moved. All the doors were ajar and the lights were all on, buzzing faintly in the concerned silence of the crowd behind him. Dan entered his apartment, keeping himself as quiet as he could, stepping over an overturned lamp and in between the two cups that had been left out overnight on the coffee table.

Everything was a mess; some small vases were broken, paintings knocked off the walls, and even a splatter of blood stained the baby blue carpet they intended to rip up but never did. “God,” he whispered.

In a much quicker fashion, Dan trotted over to Gavin's door, gently opening it with his fingers. “B?” he called out into the darkness of the room. The morning sun had been blocked out by a curtain and Dan opened it slowly to let the light in. He turned his attention to an empty bed in the corner to confirm his suspicions. He returned to the living room where he could see the front door in which some of the men stood just inside, waiting for the fear to be true.

Dan gazed inside his own room for a minute, though it was completely untouched. He looked back at the men. “Gavin's gone,” he said quietly and his voice broke on the last word. A heavy silence held the harmony Gavin and Dan had tried so hard to construct in the messiness that was their lives, that was what they were. “They took him... didn't they?”

No one had the courage to look him in the eyes. Caught somewhere between angry, afraid, and depressed, he looked away from the collection of apologetic and sympathetic faces. Someone decided it was best to leave Dan to his own devices and the crowd shuffled out the door into their own apartments. They were human. They weren't apart of this. Why should they do anything? What was there to do?

In the silence, the wolf stared hard at the ground, reality making true of his worst nightmare. Alone, he stood with the only the ticking of the wall clock in the kitchen to break the silence.

Dan was alone, and he would be for a while.

 


	2. Ivory (And Ebony)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another chapter! I decided having Human characters isn't a bad thing, so I decided to make a few Humans. Anywaaays, I feel weird not putting notes at the beginning. So I decided to go with Monty as the red panda, by suggestion. ^^ Thank you, friend! And, so, yeah. I hope this is okay. Maybe there'll be more action soon. Cha cha cha! Kay, on with the story!

It took about an hour for Dan to find the strength to move and another hour to decide to seek help. Even as he sprinted down the street half-passed seven and the roads were beginning to fill with communion cars and family vans to the schools and work places in town, all he could repeat in his mind were the same three words; _Gaven was taken, Gavin was taken. Gavin was taken._

Taken by the men in black suits, in their black cars and dark sunglasses. He could hardly feel his heart slam against his chest or the fatigue in his legs, bursting into the Dojo before he realized he had even left the apartment. “Monty!” he yelled as he stumbled out of the crisp morning air and into the damp, warm atmosphere of the Dojo.

Over the course of the years Dan knew Monty, he had grown from calling him “Master Oum” or “Mister Oum” or any of the like to simply Monty, as though they had reached a mutual level of respect for one another despite Dan still being Monty's student. Under such stress, Dan didn't care what he called him so long as he got the other's attention

Monty was in the main room, half-way through a lesson for his early rising students and Dan found him quickly. He hadn't bothered to change or take off his shoes and he earned a disapproving glare from his teacher until the evident panic on Dan's face portrayed the emergency.

“Daniel, is something wrong?”

He almost dove into the story on accident before he remembered the presence of the students and retracted the half of his first word. “Privately. I need to talk to ya.”

Monty looked back to his students, motioning for them to stay still. Some of them almost looked relieved. Dan knew Monty's style of teaching was difficult but rewarding none the less. Though what was the point of Dan and Gavin taking these lessons if Gavin was just going to be taken away anyways.

The two men stood near a closet just outside the main room. Dan looked once at the students who were now talking amongst themselves without a care in the world. He couldn't blame them. They were Human. They didn't have problems like this to worry about. He frowned to himself. They could worry about but not to the extent he did. After all, there were still Human problems in the world.

“What's the matter?” Monty asked after Dan had been quiet for a long time.

The wolf turned his attention back to his instructor and inhaled deeply. Was he shaking? Of course he was shaking. He tried to swallow and find his voice, meeting the instructor's eyes briefly. “He's gone.” His voice cracked. He forced himself to breathe because he was sure his body, in it's panic, had forgotten how. “Gavin's gone. They took him.”

For a moment, Monty didn't seem to be affected any but his eye twitched and thus broke the calm exterior he had held up. The instructor brought his hands to his hips and shifted his weight, sighing to himself quietly as he carefully considered his options. Dan kept his position, trembling. In the silence, he began to think of where Gavin might be. What they were doing to him. How he must have felt.

The image of Gavin, lean and tall, panicking and kicking the black suits only to be sedated into a black world, to be taken to a hell-like world for experiments or to be locked away from the rest of the world or worse...

Dan snapped himself from his thoughts and forced himself to keep his cool, though there wasn't any reason for just that he knew if acted weak for a moment, he would be weak forever. He inhaled again and hardened his gaze.

“I know some people who can help us,” Monty began, meeting with Dan's unnaturally bright, wolf-like eyes. “if your interested.”

Briefly, Dan recalled the group Monty mentioned five years ago and only remembered it because he wondered what would have happened if he had listened to Monty's proposal. He never had the guts to ask further about it and simply wanted to enjoy the Harmony that was he and Gavin had created.

Now, however, the wolf wondered if Gavin would have ever been taken should Dan have accepted, or even listened, to the proposal. Before he could walk down that path of thought, he returned to the conversation at hand. “Who?” he asked, but his question went unanswered.

“Come back Wednesday next week, at midnight. We'll talk more then.”

The instructor returned to his students, leaving Dan to mull over what he had been told. He had no choice. If he wanted to find Gavin, he would have to trust Monty and return on Wednesday. He was alone now, contemplating nothing but the fear that held his chest. Such a familiar feeling.

He looked out the front windows of the Dojo and tried to pretend for a moment that everything was okay. He stepped outside into the sunlight, then reality returned to him. Aimlessly, he started to walk. Anywhere was better than home.

...

Five agonizing days and four sleepless nights passed agonizingly slow. When Dan returned to his apartment the first day, he couldn't bring himself to leave. He curled up on the couch and stared at the TV without turning it on. His mind could only conjour kindergartners and classmates with the various animalistic traits, dressed in white, being taken away by the ebony cars.

Of Gavin, with his beautifully patterned wing with the colours of various sugars – from dark brown to golden to ivory – waking from his sleep to see a stranger staring over him, to have been grabbed by the arms and torn out from underneath his sheets and dragged across the apartment, kicking and screaming for Dan's help.

They pulled him out into the living room, Gavin's wings beating blindly as he fought against his captors, knocking over lamps and wall paintings and the two cups left out overnight. He was strong, despite his gawky build, and one of the ebony-dressed men were finding little choice. Snatching a vase from a nearby side table, he broke it over Gavin's head. Blood splattered onto the carpet and the hawk went limp instantly.

The two men exchanged a brief look then proceeded to pick Gavin up off the ground and carry him out of the apartment, threatening the humans that had gathered around the apartment door.

Over and over, Dan played this scene in his mind. He tried to think of other things; what the last video they made together was about, the name of the last video game they played together, the meal they ate last.

No matter how hard he tried, he could not think of anything outside of Gavin or that related to him. Once, he tried to play video games only to stare at the start screen and think of the one time he played this particular thing with Gavin. “I remember this one!” Gavin might've laughed if he were beside Dan at that moment. “I bloody hate this game! Can't we play something else, like GTA?”

His voice sounded so clear in his mind, but when he looked around the apartment, the blond was nowhere in sight. He looked back to the screen then laid on his side, allowing the theme music to play over and over and over, to fill the silence the wall clock had left for him.

Wednesday came so slowly and yet so suddenly.

It was much far passed his usual bedtime, but his sleep schedule had become sporadic and random since Gavin had been taken, and Dan was well awake when night fell. Despite his wakefulness, he was still laying in bed, staring up at the ceiling thoughtlessly, just allowing the time to pass as painfully as possible.

Across the room, the hour on the digital clock struck eleven and the alarm set off, blaring empty beeps through the apartment. Dan let it ring for a few seconds before deciding it was time to get out of bed and make his way to the Dojo downtown.

He changed into the first clean clothes he could find, realizing he hadn't changed his clothes in a while, and grabbed his beanie and his MP3 Player off the end table. He kicked on his running shoes and headed out the door. It was raining by this time, which made Dan feel a little better. Pathetic Fallacy made it feel like the sky had some sympathy towards him and it made him feel less alone, even if it was a very pitiful thought to have stuck to his brain.

Streetlamps and stop lights reflected off the puddles disturbed by passing cars. In his ears, he played angry music though he felt no energy from the guitar nor the vocals. The beat just seemed to blend in with the rhythm of the rain and his stride. He didn't really care about getting wet because he would dry up easy, though he could feel the rain seeping in through his hat onto his ears and they twitched uncontrollably with each drop to reach them.

He kept his head low, his hands in his pockets, praying that whoever he was going to meet would be able to help him.

Standing outside the Dojo, he pulled out his phone to check the time. _11:52 PM_ it said. Dan was sure Monty wouldn't mind if he was a few minutes early and so he walked into the building. He was met with darkness and silence. He pulled out one ear bud, then both of them and turned off his MP3 Player. “Monty?”

He turned down one of the halls and spotted the door to the main room, which was made of thick, frosted paper and bamboo. A soft yellow light illuminated the thin door. He heard a voice and a chuckle, neither of which he recognized. Cautiously, he stepped towards the door. What if the black suits were here? What if they were coming for him and Monty next?

And the rational part of his brain reminded him that there would be strangers there that night.

He approached the door and pressed his cheek gently against it. The people inside were talking too quiet for him to hear, but there were multiple voices and thus multiple people. Dan pulled himself away from the door but left his hand on the paper panel. He hadn't realized how anxious he was meet these strangers. It wasn't a good anxious, either. He wouldn't have been forced to meet them if Gavin hadn't been taken.

He winced. For Gavin's sake, he would open this door.

And so he did.

The room hushed instantly and turned to the motion in the corner where Dan stood in place of the sliding door. None of the faces he recognized at first, but he spotted Monty sitting at the end of the table with a small mug of tea in his hands. Monty looked different, though, with small round ears and a red tail wrapped around his waist.

Monty waved and motioned for Dan to enter the room, which he did, closing the door behind him. “Dan, glad you could join us,” he said, though his face was stern.

The wolf nodded and he studied each the strangers before him. Some of them were hybrids. Others were human, unless they were hiding their traits or their traits were simply out of sight. Everyone was seated around the table save for a male who was curled up behind it. Dan could make out a cat's tail but that was all.

The table hadn't been there before, but Dan knew it came from the storage room in the basement for occasions in which they would celebrate via a feast. Dan had only been to a handful of those in his time studying at the Dojo. There as an empty seat by Monty beside a ram hybrid, which Dan took tentatively. The cat rolled onto his back upon hearing the squeaking of Dan's shoes and the male scowled. “Thought you said he was a hybrid,” he drawled lazily, annoyed.

Instead of letting Monty answer, Dan pulled off his beanie to reveal the wolf ears that perked atop his head. Still, the cat scoffed and remained unimpressed, rolling back over and returning to his nap.

Slowly, Dan took a seat in the chair and tried to inch it as close to Monty as possible without being offensive to the ram. Even so, the ram held out his hand for Dan to shake. “Geoff,” he said.

The wolf took the hand and shook it once. “Dan.”

“You'll have to excuse Michael. He's worried about Gavin, too.”

“Shut up,” the cat, presumably Michael, mumbled.

Dan shifted uncomfortably, meeting with Monty's dark eyes then looking back to Geoff. “You know Gavin?”

Geoff nodded and a man who could have been Human and sat at the other end of the table piped up. “He was a friend of ours as well.”

Bright eyes narrowed and he pushed his chair away from the table without standing. “What are you talkin' about?” he whispered, attention turning instantly to Monty because he knew the instructor had something to do with Gavin's association with the group.

How long had Gavin known these people? Why didn't Gavin tell him? For the second time, he remembered Monty's proposition. If Dan had said he wasn't interested to Monty, then it was most likely Gavin found out and decided not to press into it. Maybe he thought Dan would worry.

Damn straight. If this company had anything to do with Gavin being taken by the black suits, then they would have hell to pay. “What did you do? Who are you?”

The Human sighed and he rested his elbows on the table. “I am Burnie Burns, and we are Rooster Teeth.”

 


	3. Home (and Far Away)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is super slow, but at least we're getting somewhere. Yaay!
> 
> On with the story!

Bright golden eyes glared hard at the Human named Burnie at the end of the table. Dan was caught in a debate of whether or not to trust the people who could've been responsible for Gavin's capture. “How long...?” He intended a long question, but his voice failed him before he could finish.

“A few years now. We would meet here, midnight on Wednesdays and discuss... stuff.” Despite the heaviness of the topic, Burnie seemed to have been much more light-hearted about it; Dan wasn't sure if he naturally sounded like that or if Burnie didn't care, though he was confident it was more the former than the latter.

“What stuff?”

The cow Hybrid snorted. Under normal circumstances, Dan would've been impressed by the massive horns that stuck high into the air. In fact, he would considered him more of a bull with horns like that. He wondered how he hid his traits, or if he had just lived in seclusion all his life. Either way, the cow could probably share an interesting story if Dan ever asked.

“'What stuff?'” Michael repeated with a sour laugh and Dan's ears folded back.

Burnie seemed to be at a loss of how to describe what it was they met for, but Dan was patient. “Equal rights stuff,” the lion (who sat beside the cow) added helpfully, though the choice of words was apparently wrong because the Human and the ram exchanged weary expressions.

Dan looked away, pretending he didn't see the exchange, and ended up meeting eyes with the one who sat across from him; a rabbit hybrid. The rabbit's ears folded back while Dan perked his.

“Hi,” said the rabbit.

“Hi,” replied the wolf.

“Pfft,” laughed Michael.

Monty sighed loud enough for Dan and the rabbit to simultaneously break eye contact and looked in their own separate directions. “What 'equal rights' stuff?” Dan asked, hoping for a better answer this time.

Now even the lion looked lost for an answer. Did they actually have no idea what they did or did they just not want to tell him? “We do, like, super spy shit and whatnot,” Michael pipped up, turning onto his back. Dan turned to meet his eyes. “We're looking for the fuckers who are taking hybrid's off the streets and we're gonna expose 'em, basically. We get society on our side, bam! The Government's forced to acknowledge hybrids and they'll give us what we want.”

“That's the theory, anyway,” Geoff mentioned quickly. “It's still a work in progress, but that's the general idea.”

Dan, if anything, glared. He leaned back and folded his arms, scowling slightly. “And how do you bloody plan to do that?”

There was an uneasiness, which seemed to confuse Dan since he wasn't exactly poised to attack or make any quick movements. Maybe they were afraid of him betraying them or telling others about their plans. They were his only lead to Gavin. He didn't have much of a choice.

“That's the part we're trying to figure out,” the rabbit explained, leaning forward and placing his elbows on the table. His ears were still resting back but he seemed much more relaxed now. “With the locating and the hunting of the guys and whatnot. You know, the somewhat more dangerous stuff. That's what Gav-- Oh.”

The rabbit went quiet and Geoff shot him a warning look. Dan stared at Geoff then glared at the rabbit. “That's what Gav, _what_?” he pressed but the rabbit just look between everyone nervously. “Well?”

“That's what Gav... wanted to do?” but that was most definitely not what he as about to say and Dan knew it. He squinted and the rabbit pushed backwards on his seat. “I suddenly need to use the bathroom.” And the rabbit was off, though he didn't hop like Dan would have expected rabbit hybrids to do, which was a tad disappointing.

“Hey, wait! Could you grab me a beer?” Michael shouted after the rabbit but there was no reply. “Dammit.”

The cow seemed all for the idea though and stood, announcing that he would be back and disappeared out the main room door after taking a quick census of how many beers he should grab. Everyone raised their hand, in collective agreement that the current atmosphere needed to be relaxed. Dan blamed himself for the awkwardness but this was for Gavin's sake.

Eventually, the cow (and the rabbit) returned, handing out the beer (all of which were the same brand) to those who sat at the table and the cat, who hadn't moved at all. “Thanks, Ryan.”

“Yep.”

 The cow, Ryan, resumed his seat beside the lion. He didn't hold a beer in his hands, instead snapping open what appeared to be a diet Coke. “Oh, oh!” The lion stood and Ryan looked up, though the lion told him to look down.

“What are you doing, Jack?”

The lion, Jack, grinned and held the can to one of Ryan's horns. He slipped the tab under one of the tips and pulled the can. The beer can opened and Jack cheered, swinging back the beer with a good gulp. The table chuckled.

Dan would have smiled if his mind wasn't so preoccupied with the thought of Gavin at the mercy of the black suits. He would have time to relax after Gavin was home safely, or when Dan had closed his eyes for good.

Instead, he stared at his unopened can and swirled the drink in his hands. “So, wot do ya think, then?” he asked. He hated to break the last of the light-heartedness, but it wasn't like it was really there to begin with. The rabbit hadn't taken a beer and just took to staring at the ever motionless Michael, who had already half finished his can.

Geoff had also put a good dent into his beer as well and he nudged Dan when he noticed the can in his hands wasn't open. “Tastes better if you open it.”

He returned a scoff-like laugh and nodded. “Cheers, mate,” he chuckled sarcastically and opened his can. Geoff snickered off the sarcasm and clinked his beer can against Dan's.

“Well,” Burnie began, speaking slowly and choosing his words carefully. “I'm assuming you want to help find Gavin.” Dan narrowed his eyes and said nothing. “So, we're offering you a chance to return with us to America, where our base of operations is, and to work with us in locating where they're taking the hybrids and break Gavin out.”

There was a moment of brief silence as Dan considered the beer in his hands, and his option. Without looking up, he said, “Okay.” Everyone looked at Dan suddenly. There had been no hesitation in his voice. Apparently, it seemed surprising he agreed so quickly but he really meant it. If these guys would bring him to Gavin and they could break the hawk out of there, – if they were all they said they were – then why would he reject this?

Moving didn't seem like a big issue. There wasn't a lot here for him anyway; the Dojo and Gavin. That was what made this place his home, but Gavin had been taken. The first person aside from his own parents to know Dan's secret. How much different would his life be if Gavin hadn't sauntered in with his overzealous energy?

Burnie shifted in his seat then shrugged with a smirk. “We'll leave as soon as your ready.”

“I'll see you at the airport tomorrow morning.” Dan stood then and left without saying goodbye

He stood outside the main room, downing the rest of his beer, and tossed the can in the trash. He walked home in the downpour, leaving his MP3 in his pocket. Thoughts and images circled loudly in his mind and he realized how fucked up everything had become. How had he lost everything?

He went into his apartment and started to pack.

He didn't sleep.

... 

The sun was slow to rise, so Dan didn't wait for it. With a duffel bag of clothes and video games, his wallet, and his phone, he returned to the Dojo before the rain had even let up. His hair stuck to his scalp under the black beanie and he wondered if he could have worn a different hat. It was too late, though, and he was outside the Dojo when the thought crossed his mind.

There was a new sign on the front door, reading; _CLOSED: On Vacation Until October 5_ _th_ . It was the fifth of July but Dan supposed Monty could take a break for as long as he wanted; over the course of the years, it had become his Dojo.

He didn't know Monty planned to come with them but at the same time, it made sense. Dan had been Monty's student for almost ten years, Gavin for five, and Monty was apart of this company, being a Hybrid himself.

As expected, Monty was inside with his own packed bags. He met with Dan underneath the awning of a nearby cafe with two suitcases and a baseball cap. Monty looked him up and down, finally noting the duffel bag he had over his shoulder. “You packed light,” he commented.

 “What else would I need?”

Monty shrugged then turned to wave down a taxi. The instructor placed his bags in the trunk while Dan brought his into the backseat with him. Monty took his seat beside him and told the driver to take them to the airport. The drive was absolutely silent. Eventually, Dan pulled out his MP3 Player and put in his earbuds, listening to his playlist.

They arrived at the airport an hour later. Monty paid the driver generously and the two males walked into the airport. It took a while to find them, but they eventually met with Burnie and the rest of Rooster Teeth. Ryan, Geoff, and Jack were nowhere in sight, which he supposed made sense. Ryan and Geoff's horns were large and impossible to hide and Jack had a mane that couldn't pass for a beard, so they must have been waiting somewhere secluded for them.

He wondered how in the hell Ryan managed to travel without being caught.

Michael and the rabbit were splitting a bag of chips between themselves. The rabbit had tried to hide his ears under a toque but the tips of his ears were peeking out over the back of his neck. “What's his name?” Dan asked Burnie while they were waiting for their flight.

“Who? Michael?”

“Nah, the other one.”

“Ray?”

“Yeah, thanks.” The wolf approached the rabbit from behind, letting the other know he was there before he started to tuck the ears into the cap. “Much better.”

“Thanks, man,” Ray mumbled, fixing his toque slightly to make it more comfortable, then held out a hand to shake. “Ray, by the way. Uh, I forgot your name, sorta...”

“Dan.”

Ray grinned. "Dan the Man. Can't forget that."

Michael held out the bag of chips to Dan and he stole a look at the label before deciding to take a chip. “Cheers,” he said and Michael nodded back.

Their flight was delayed and a few hours passed. Burnie explained that Ryan and Jack had their own arrangements back to the U.S, though he never got into detail about it. He told Dan that he could stay at the base, since the visit was limited to ninety days and staying at the hotel so long would be expensive. The last minute tickets were bad enough as it was.

“Will ninety days be enough time?” he asked, voice low and suspicious of all around him. “How close are you to finding the... place?”

“Closer than you think,” was the reply. “Ninety days should be enough time, I think.”

“I don't,” was Dan's honest reply, but Burnie just offered a wry smile in return.

At some point, he and Michael decided to do a coffee run. Michael wasn't much of a speaker, but neither was Dan and they both traveled together only to fetch the coffees. They didn't speak a word until they returned to the others.

The PA system announced their flight was ready to take off and the passengers could prepare to board. Everything went so smoothly and as soon as Dan took his seat on the plane, he realized how tired he was. It had been such a long time since he slept last, so he allowed his eyes to flutter shut and he fell asleep before the plane had even taken off.

... 

They arrived in Austin, Texas many hours later. Jet lag was going to be impossible but Dan didn't care. His sleep schedule had been fucked to begin with so it didn't really matter to him how badly he was going to suffer from it.

They took a taxi from the airport to the building. Dusk was already settling in and some of the southern stars were peeking out from behind the thin layers of clouds. The setting sun, Dan realized, was the first of the sun he had seen in days. Either it rained or he had shut himself away inside.

He had almost forgotten how bright it was.

Ray shook him and Michael awake when they neared the building. Michael and Dan slept in the back and Ray sat in the passenger's seat. Monty and Burnie took a different cab there since there wasn't enough room in one taxi.

“This is it,” the cat yawned as they pulled into the front gates. “This is the office.”

The cab rolled to a stop and they all got out. Burnie and Monty's taxi was late to arrive but a reassuring text to Michael's phone insisted they would be there soon. He received another text a few minutes later asking if they wanted anything from Wendy's.

Dan stood outside the building, staring up at it. This place would be his new home. Briefly, he wondered if Gavin had been here before but the wolf would've known if Gavin ever left the country.

“Uh, a cheeseburger is fine,” he replied absent-mindedly when Michael asked if he wanted anything to eat. He just wanted to go inside and sleep and worry about food in the morning, but the last full meal he had eaten was before Gavin had been taken. He frowned.

Ray walked up beside him and patted him on the shoulder, ignoring the blank expression on the wolf's face. “Pretty cool, right?”

Wordlessly, Dan nodded.


	4. Now (and Then)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoops, I made an uploading error! I have no idea what happened but okay-- Anyways, this story is going super slow but I promise it'll pick up soon. On with the story!

They didn't wait for Geoff and Monty; Michael and Ray lead him inside. Upon entering, Dan wasn't sure if he should be awed or disappointed. It wasn't much, other than just a basic company entrance with a main desk where the secretary would sit (if there was one) and a small hallway with five doors. There was nothing extraordinary about it, but that was what made it so great.

They walked passed the desk towards the door at the end of the hall. Dan tried to peek into the other doors but they were all shut. He tilted his head back and sniffed the air, sifting through the various alien scents that reached his nose.

When he and Gavin were ten, they discovered that some of their traits carried into their senses as well. Gavin's vision had always been very keen, able to spot things from far away when he wanted to. He used to take off into the sky until he was just a dot and Dan would hold up a certain number of fingers for three seconds. When Gavin returned, he always said the correct number of fingers Dan had held up, despite being so far away.

Once, he and Gavin walked to the store and met an elderly lady with a dog on the way there. Gavin let the dog sniff him and he pet it gently. Dan didn't bother to approach the dog. Animals were always incredibly weary around him, though they seemed to take to Gavin quite well. A few days later, they returned to the store and met the same lady and the same dog. The dog wagged it's tail when it saw Gavin and immediately started to lick his face.

“She remembers who you are,” the lady explained. “Dogs have good sniffers. They can remember what you smell like better than what you look like.”

They went home and immediately Gavin jumped onto his computer, typing away on Firefox. Dan approached him from behind, removing Gavin's shirt and his restraints. “What're you doin', B?” he asked even though he could read the screen just fine. He was too focused on Gavin's restraints to really pay attention however.

“I'm lookin' up stuff,” was the vague reply. Dan rolled his eyes and removed the first bind. “It says 'ere that dogs have a better smell than humans do. Like, 10 times better or somethin'. They can track things and people down, like police dogs and stuff.”

“What's so interestin' about that? The lady already told us that.”

Gavin looked away from the computer and grinned at Dan, who had undone the second bind only seconds before Gavin turned his chair. “Maybe ya 'ave the same sense of smell. Let's try it out.” They trotted up to Gavin's room and the young hawk pulled out clothes and toys out of his closet. “Here, B,” he said, having Dan a well-loved shirt. “Smell it.”

Dan took the shirt out of Gavin's hands and looked at him awkwardly. It was weird, smelling other people's clothes, but he did it anyway. He put it up to his face and took a deep breath. The shirt was strong with laundry soap and fabric softener, which was supposed to smell like lavender but came out more like dried flower petals. He pulled it away and made a disapproving face. “It smells weird.”

The hawk took the shirt back and took a sniff himself. “Smells fine to me.” He shrugged and threw the shirt back in his closet. Now he wandered to his laundry basket and offered up a dirty shirt. “Try this.”

“No way!” The wolf stepped back and crossed his arms. “I'm not smellin' your dirty laundry. Are you mental?”

Gavin pouted as though he had been offended but Dan knew better. “What? It's a shirt. It's not like I'm asking you to smell my underwear or anything.”

The comment earn half of a glare before Dan snatched the shirt out of Gavin's hands and held to his face. There was still the smell of dead flower petals, but there was also the smell of rain. Gavin wore this shirt the day before yesterday to school and had forgotten his coat. It was almost hurricane-like weather, so Dan shared his umbrella and walked Gavin home. Even now, the shirt was still damp.

Atop the dead flowers and the rain, there was another scent, but this was strange to him and didn't seem to compare to any other kind of smell he knew. Maybe it was people-smell? Or Gavin-smell? It was sort of like... clams, in a way, but not quite.

He was quiet for too long and Gavin pressed. “Well? How's that?”

“Uh,” was his reply but he was still trying to place the Gavin-smell. Clams? Morning dew? Oh, water vapour! “You smell like cloud,” Dan concluded finally.

“Cloud?”

“Like water vapour, ya know?”

Gavin stared at the other for a while, then took the shirt back and held it to his nose. “It smells like rain.”

“No, no, rain and water vapour have two different smells. Rain smells more metallic.”

There was a moment in which the hawk just stared disbelievingly at Dan before his eyes lit up with an idea, his wings mimicking the excitement by unfolding slightly. “Dan, I'm gonna hide and you have to sniff me out, okay? Count to ten!” He threw the shirt on the floor and ran out the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

Dan stammered uselessly for a moment, then sighed and started to count. When he reached ten, he opened the door. Gavin was nowhere in sight. The wolf perked his ears and listened to the silence for giggling. Yet, there was none.

Defeated, Dan tilted his head back and sniffed the air. It was incredibly faint, too faint to follow, but most definitely there. He lowered his head and the scent seemed to pick up. Dan crouched and sniffed the ground where the scent was strongest.

He crawled along the floor. When the scent disappeared, he would backtrack to where he had been before and try again. Finally, the trail lead him to a closet door on the ground floor by the kitchen. He opened the door and there was Gavin, crouching between bed sheets and blankets. His wings curled around his body and he was playing with one of his feathers. The hawk grinned. “Bloody hell, took you long enough.”

“It's hard to keep a trail,” Dan replied honestly. "It's not like I go around, sniffing people all the time, Gav."

Over the course of the years, Gavin would continuously test and train Dan's nose, always pleased or impressed with the results. A couple times did Dan not find the right thing, mainly because the scent had been tampered with in some way; Gavin hid his shirt in the laundry room once and Dan couldn't figure out which shirt he had put in there because all the chemicals had overpowered the trail. Another time, Dan wasn't able to find the thing Gavin had hidden because his mother had moved it to a different place.

The exercise, as Gavin put it, was that Dan had to find something Gavin had hidden without knowing what the thing was. It was a good exercise and Dan was quite good at it, provided Gavin's parents didn't move the object. Not only did it change the scent, but the trail was generally masked by the powerful perfume the mother wore.

Eventually, Dan wanted to be able to find objects even if the object had been masked with a different smell, so when Gavin placed the object and Dan went to search for it, Gavin would spray Febreeze all over the object and around the house.

Dan learned how to ignore the various other smells and focus on just the one, making it easier when Gavin hid an object and his mother had moved it. It was all just a case of training himself to pull apart smells, since he was used to just taking in all the scents as they came to his nose.

Even when Dan and Gavin had moved in together, Gavin always found a use for Dan's nose, such as in cooking or finding the keys in the house.

Now, walking through the hallway at the Rooster Teeth office, he was finding that training useful. He pulled apart several smells, able to pick out the scent of water vapour. Of cloud. “Gavin's been here?” he asked suddenly, sniffing the air more fiercely. The scent was so faint that Dan thought maybe he had just imagined it.

“Once,” Michael replied flatly. He opened the door to a much larger room that seemed to stretch up into the second story of the building. Now _that_ was impressive. “This place used to a set for a TV show, but they got bankrupted and were forced to sell their building. It was, like, ten years ago or something, I think. If ya wanna know more about that for whatever reason, talk to Burnie.”

With that, Michael trotted off to the couch on the set and curled up. The set up was strange, like a living room sort of but all the furniture faced out towards the rest of the room as though it was used for filming but Dan saw no camera in sight.

Ray stood awkwardly for a moment and then he and Dan met gazes. The rabbit removed his hat and his ears stood on end. The wolf looked him up and down, then smirked. “So, you've got the little cotton tail, too?”

“Shut up,” Ray chuckled.

“Hey, we're back!” Everyone turned to the door and Burnie and Monty entered, holding up Wendy's bags in either hand. “And we've got food.” Everyone gathered around Burnie and Monty has they handed out the requested meals. As soon as Dan got his bag and Coka Cola, he sat on the ground and opened his bag. “Did you want a table, or--”

But Dan had already opened his burger and chowing the burger down ravenously. He paused eventually to stuff a few fries in his mouth and then continued wolfing down the burger. “Hungry like the wolf,” Ray sang, taking a spot on the cough with Michael. He opened his bag and started on his own meal.

Monty disappeared into another room. Burnie sat on the floor in front of Dan.

They sat in silence. Dan only focused on his food, trying not to think of how far away from home he was; trying not to think of Gavin and how far away he was. He tried not to think of how scared the hawk might be. He tried not to think of the worst cases, of Gavin dying or worse.

All too suddenly, he lost his appetite. Quietly, he set the burger down and wrapped it up in it's package. Burnie raised an eyebrow but no one else seemed to notice (or care, in Michael's case). “Something the matter?”

Dan looked up then shrugged. “Nah, not as hungry as I thought I was,” he tried to say nonchalantly.

“Funny, you were wolfing it down just a second ago,” the human replied, which earned a glare from Ray and Michael. It took him a few seconds to realize what he had said, then he chuckled and rolled his eyes. “I've been hanging around Barbara too much.”

Michael scoffed and returned to his food. Silence resumed. Dan tried to keep himself from thinking and just instead focused on everything that was around him. Over the sound of chewing, he could hear typing far off. It sounded like somebody, or a few somebodies, was working hard in some of the other rooms. He could smell hay and various meats.

“So, tell us about you.” Dan's head snapped to look at Burnie, the question taking him by surprise. “Gavin didn't speak a lot about you, but he's really important to you, right?”

Ray appeared mildly interested and the cat remained uncaring. Dan inhaled. “We grew up together,” he explained. “He's my B.”

Michael looked up and raised an eyebrow. “B? As in, like, boi?”

The wolf nodded and he turned back to Burnie. “Gav and I have been friends since we were kids. He was really into in slow motion cinematography and I decided to attend the Dojo where Monty was teaching. We both started going after a while and we... just...” Dan swallowed and shrugged. “That's it, I guess.”

“That's cool,” the rabbit said, taking another nibble of his burger. “that you and Gav have known each other since forever.”

Dan nodded. “He was the first hybrid I knew, actually.”

“Not even your parents were hybrids?”

“Nah.”

“That's weird.”

Again, the Brit shrugged and he poked the last quarter of his burger again.

Michael squinted and his tail started to twitch oddly, like house cat's tails tended to do. “So, basically, he's the centre of your _fucking_ universe,” the cat scoffed.

Dan snapped a threatening glare in Michael's direction but the cat was too busy staring at the last bit of the burger to notice. “What's that supposed to mean?”

Michael shrugged and took the last bite of his burger. “Well, you seemed to have no problem dropping everything and coming over here.” He looked up and met all the unimpressed eyes in his direction. “What? I'm just saying.”

"I'm not bloody in _love_ with him," Dan spat. "Yeah, God forbid I care about a friend.”

Michael scoffed. “Whatever, wolf boy. Just stay out of the way and let the big boys do their job. We'll get Gavin back soon.” With that, he stood and trotted out of the room towards where the typing originated from, slamming the door behind him.

There was a moment of silence and Dan folded his arms. “What was that all about?”

“Dunno,” Ray mumbled. Burnie shrugged and Dan just snarled at the door that replaced where Michael had been standing only a moment ago.


	5. Curiosity (and Chaos)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Taking some advice from some wonderful commentators, I have decided to take out the British accents. I did think about it earlier but I was already three chapters in when I considered it and I didn't want to screw up the continuity. While I do have a preference for writing the accents, I do believe that the flow of the writing is interrupted by the accents and so I ultimately decided to remove them. I did keep a few things in there but they're universal speak and apply to all English as opposed to just British. Like, "Ya", which I think is the only one I kept. And any -ing's could be -in's, but there'll be few and far in between. I'm trying to do the same with cursing, I tried to keep that to an occasion but not too rare because Michael isn't Michael without his curse words.  
> In the event I do wish to put [the British accents] back in again, I can always just go back and edit the chapters. But for the time being, I believe this is the better choice. So, thank you for your advice! I really appreciate it a lot, because my only wish, aside from entertaining, is to become a better writer. So, thank you for taking the time to comment and offer your advice!  
> Again, I welcome all advice and I take everything into consideration. Thank you for all your comments and for sticking with me thus far. Thank you so much!
> 
> And about the story... Perhaps things will begin to pick-up soon. Too much stuff not happening. So, it's time to make stuff happen.  
> On with the story!

When Geoff and Ryan entered the main room (which was hilarious because the doorway got the better of Ryan's horns), Burnie immediately assigned them the duty to give Dan a tour of the place. While Dan was sort of interested, Jet Lag had kicked his ass and he wanted to do nothing more than sleep. He still agreed to do the tour (this place didn't seem all that big anyway) and decided he would sleep after.

Ray hopped (er, walked; Dan was still upset Ray didn't hop) off, mumbling something about some last minute work. Geoff started by leading Dan through the door Michael had slammed behind him, which opened to a smaller room with a lot of computers scattered over various desks everywhere in the room

Over a half-wall, he could see Michael peering over a woman's shoulder, watching her work on her computer. “This is where we do all our work. When a Hybrid is reported missing, we check all the security footage of their last known location and search for clues. Recently, we got a clear picture of a license plate on one of the cars in New York. We're currently trying to find what information that can give us, which is what Lindsay is doing right now.”

The woman Michael was standing behind looked up and met eyes with Dan, smiling and waving a bit before returning to her work. “Monty's doing some last minute check-ups on your apartment in Britain, but we haven't found anything yet.” The wolf frowned a bit, then rubbed his face to hide it. “Ray's filing a few reports on some Hybrids that have recently dropped off the grid in France.”

Dan raised an eyebrow. “France?”

“Well, we have a few agents around the world. Gavin and Monty were part of our Britain team, and Barbara is in Canada at the moment. And... it's Joel is covering France, right?” Ray, far in the back, nodded. “Yeah. Anyways...”

Geoff continued down the work space until they reached another door. This door lead back into the main hall again where the five doors were. Dan noted where the work space and set room entrance was then turned to Ryan, who opened the door across from the work space. “This is kinda like a break room or a lunch room or something, but no one ever really uses it.” Inside was a water cooler and a few sofas. He could smell dirt and old water, which was a little odd since the water cooler looked fresh. Perhaps there had been water fights in here before.

Ryan shut that door and opened the one beside it. “And this is the bathroom.”

Dan was surprised. Instead of a standard office bathroom, it almost looked like a bathroom one would have in a home. It was painted various shades of gold and brown. The sink mirror was large and the shower also doubled as a bath. “Why...?”

“Uh, we thought it would be cool if it looked nice.”

They returned to the set room and found another door far across from the work space entrance. Inside this door was a lot of TV sets and Xbox's. “This is the Achievement Hunter office,” the ram explained. “Whenever we need to unwind, we all come in here and play online with each other. It's pretty cool. Please don't ask where the name came from. Someone came up with the idea and it stuck. That's all you need to know.”

Dan nodded.

They opened one more door that was also in the set room. There were at least four more doors they had yet to open but Geoff seemed adamant to end the tour here. “And, finally, this is where you'll be sleeping. It's a room set up for visitors or for when one of us can't go home for whatever reason.” Dan peered in and perked his ears. It was a long hall with a few doors to which he assumed lead to bedrooms. “Just pick one and throw your bag in there. Or sleep, if you want. No one else is using any of the rooms at the moment.”

The wolf wandered into the third door on the right and peered in. It seemed rather cozy; there was a bed, a beside table, a lamp, a full length mirror, and even a desk and a chair. “Where do you guys get all this stuff?”

“Oh, you know,” Ryan shrugged, but Dan didn't. “Curbsides, thrift stores, donations, that kinda stuff.”

“Donations?” He set his duffel bag on his bed and pulled off his hat, throwing it on the bedside table. “People give stuff to you?”

Geoff scratched at his horns and thought about it for a moment. “You'll see,” he said finally. “Sleep now, you'll find out the rest when you wake up.” With that, he and Ryan left, closing the door in their wake.

Was it so obvious he was tired? He turned to the full length mirror and touched his face. His eyes were red and his cheeks white. He almost looked more ill than tired, but he felt fine. He changed into his pajamas and threw his duffel bag into the middle of the room. He climbed into bed and passed out as soon as his head hit the pillow.

...

He woke sometime in the dead middle of the night. He pulled his phone out of his bag and woke it to check the time. _1:46 AM_ , and the battery was at twelve percent. He yanked his charger out of his bag and pulled it into the outlet on the floor in the opposite corner of his bed.

He turned on the lamp and looked around his room again for anything he might need. He wasn't particularly tired anymore. He looked at himself in the mirror again, taking in his own appearance. He looked a little better but he still didn't appear well.

Grabbing a bundle of clothes from the duffel bag, he retreated to the bathroom to take a shower.

Everything was pitch black as he walked through the company. He stepped on a wire once and almost tripped over a useless crate but he made it to the bathroom in the end. He had opted for a quick shower, but he was confident no one else was in the building and so took his time cleaning up. He used whatever soap and shampoo he could find, not really caring about what kind it was.

He was gentle in using the shampoo around his ears, because he hated nothing more than getting chemicals in his ears. He used the same stuff on his tail, then ran his body down with the soap. His shower probably took much longer than it should have but, thinking now, when was the last time he had cleaned himself? Before Gavin was taken, most likely.

He turned off the water and stepped out, drying himself with the towel gently. Already he was feeling a thousand times better. He debated dressing himself into day clothes but with it being three in the morning, he decided he could linger in his pajamas a little while longer. He slipped the white tank top and plaid pants on and returned to his room.

He put his day clothes away into his duffel bag and took a seat on his bed, at a loss of what to do. He looked around his room before spotting his phone on the floor. He trotted over and check the battery percentage, which was now at thirty percent. He unplugged his phone and flipped on the flashlight app, leaving his room.

It felt as though he were in a horror video game with the flash light casting shadows all along the walls. With an inhale, he started down the hallway and entered the set room. He didn't realize how dark it was in the set room. He could only see what the flashlight shone on. Something scratched in the walls and Dan's shoulders tensed, shining the flashlight in search of the noise. He found nothing and thus decided to ignore it.

He shone the light on the set, then turned to focus it on one of the doors he had seen before but hadn't been told about. He approached the door and opened it, peering inside. There was only set pieces and decorations inside; various chairs and tables, lamps that didn't work, even some cots and a door that wasn't connected to anything.

He shut the door and backed away, looking for the other entrances he had missed. His flashlight fell on the set and, if he hadn't been paying attention, he would have missed it. Behind one of the red curtains, a circular object glinted. Perking his ears, he jumped up onto the set, making his way behind the curtain to where the circular object, a door knob, was drilled into a door.

The door was hidden from plain sight and obviously was only meant for certain eyes to see. He turned the knob and the door creaked open slightly on it's own. He pushed the door and it opened way to a storage room. Dan scowled, disappointed he had found nothing. Though, if he sniffed the air, the scent of water vapour was stronger here than anywhere else. It was still weeks, maybe even months old, but still there.

He followed the trail into the storage room, lighting the way as he walked. The storage room was nothing but taped-up boxes and totes. Briefly, Dan wondered what was in the boxes but was too focused on the scent trail to care.

Finally, the trail lead him to the back of the room and then it faded. Dan opened his eyes and shined the flashlight everywhere in search of why Gavin had been in this room. The only thing he could find, at first, were just more taped boxes and tots. Then he smacked the ball of his foot on something and he looked down.

Underneath a taped up box was a trapdoor that lead under the room. Perhaps a door to a basement or of the like. He set his phone on a nearby tote and picked up the box, moving it to the side. He knelt down and checked for any locks, then grasped the handle in his hand.

“You aren't supposed to be in here.” Dan jumped as though he had been electrocuted. He scrambled to his feet and grabbed his phone, shining it at the doorway where a figure was standing. Cat ears folded back and the tail twitched as the figure brought up it's arms to shield it's eyes. “Don't point that at my fucking eyes!” Michael hissed. “What do you think you're doing!?”

The wolf lowered the light and eyed the other. “What're you doing here?”

Michael scowled and lowered his arm. “What am I-- What do you think!? I work here! Why else would I be here!?”

Dan's ears went back. He blinked as some water from his hair dripped into his eye. “I didn't think you'd still be here,” he finally admitted. “I was just lookin' around. I can't sleep.”

“That's 'cause you slept all day, idiot.” The shorter male folded his arms. “There's a reason Geoff and Ryan didn't show you this room.”

Dan looked tentatively to the trapdoor then back to Michael. “Yeah, I can see why,” he began, then chose to pretend he didn't see anything but the boxes. “There's nothing in here.”

Michael stared at Dan for a few moments as though silent debating what the wolf had just said before shrugging. “Whatever. Go back to your room.”

Quietly, the wolf nodded and returned to the door, pushing passed Michael, who sighed. He jumped down the set and started in the direction of the room when the door to the work space opened and Jack was standing in the door way with his mane ruffled and ears back. “Michael, we have an emergency on Greenway.”

The cat's ears perked suddenly and he sprinted into the room Jack was in without hesitation. Dan raised his wolf-alike ears and watched as Jack closed the door behind him. Curious, he stalked to the door and peered in through the cracks between the door and the wall.

He listened carefully, eavesdropping on what Lindsay was saying. “We have a black hatchback following what appears to be a deer Hybrid on Greenway towards Westmount,” she said quickly, typing a few buttons on the keyboard. “It'll take about twenty minutes to get there, ten if you ignore traffic signals.”

Michael shrugged and grabbed his jacket and hat off the nearby table. “I'll be there in five.”

“I'll keep you posted.”

Michael sprinted towards the door Dan was peering through and the wolf jumped back, flattening himself against the wall as the cat ran out of the building. Tentatively, Dan peered into the room with his ears perked. His eyes accidentally met with Jack's and the lion smiled kindly, motioning for Dan to sit by him, which he did.

“What's going on?” he asked as he took his seat, leaning to the side so he could see Lindsay's screen better. Her screen had many small windows open, including two video feeds and Google Chrome. One of the video feeds revealed a female with a hat and a red coat walking along the sidewalk. As soon as the girl was out of sight of the camera, Lindsay clicked a button and another viewpoint of the deer walking down the street appeared.

The other feed trailed a black five-door as it crawled a few meters behind her. He couldn't see inside. She seemed like she wanted to look back but didn't, afraid of seeing the car.

Lindsay pulled out her phone and quickly dialed a number then set it down. For a moment, she waited, then she said, “Hey, Michael.”

“'Sup, Linds? I'm almost there.” Dan looked around for the source of the speaker before realizing Michael's voice was coming from the speaker on her phone. “Any updates?”

“None yet. They approaching Westmount.”

“Kay.”

Dan turned to Jack, who folded his arms. “The guys who took Gavin?” he began. “That's them. Or, at least, a couple of guys who work for the same company.”

The wolf looked back to the screen, eyes wide. “The Black Suits,” he whispered. Jack gave him a curious sideways glance but said nothing.

Lindsay jumped suddenly, switching the cameras again. “Hurry, Michael, they're moving.” Sure enough, the black hatchback was picking up speed. The girl began to walk faster, having heard the car pick up speed behind her. When the hatchback got too close, she broke into a cold sprint, dashing down towards the stoplight. There wasn't any alleys for her to hide in. There was nowhere for her to escape.

Despite her efforts, it wasn't long before the car had pulled around in front of her, driving onto the sidewalk, and one man in a black suit stepped out of the hatchback.

Dan stood then, ears back.

The girl stopped suddenly and stepped back, her mouth moving as though she was saying something, quickly getting frustrated when she didn't get a reply. When the man got too close, she turned on her heel and again sprinted down the other way. The hatchback went into reverse and hurried down the sidewalk after her, cutting her off again just a few meters down the road.

Again, she stopped, looking behind her as the first man approached her and the second one, who had been driving the vehicle, also stepped out and approached her. All too quickly, the men grabbed the girl and dragged her back towards the car. She kicked and screamed, struggling to get out of their grasp. One of the men reached into his pocket and pulled out a rag, holding it to her mouth until she went limp.

They laid her into the back of the car and shut the door, getting into the front themselves. The car went into reverse, pulling out into the middle of the road.

Suddenly, a blue sedan appeared into the video feed and slammed into the side of the hatchback.


	6. To Serve (and to Protect)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for taking forever to update! I have been so busy. I got a new laptop, I have been places without internet, I watched all of Red VS Blue -- twice. I also got really stuck. Anyways, here to hoping I get back into the game again. Also, the last bit of the chapter was written four in the morning so I hope it's alright, cause I'm too tired for common sense. Woo hoo!  
> UPDATE: Funny story. For the Hybrid of the license plate (you'll see what I mean later), I randomly generated an animal and a name. Then, it turned out there was actually a guy who worked at Rooster Teeth with that name and that was his Hybrid, too! So, I went back to change the surname of the guy to match the dude who worked at RT. Except, I didn't change all them. I did change it now, and it should be all correct, but if you spotted this error during your first time reading, then that was the mistake I made.  
> Thank you so much!
> 
> On with the story!

The two cars slid a few metres. The impact of the crash sent the driver of the hatchback through the windshield in front of the car and he disappeared underneath the vehicle as it slid. As suddenly as the sedan appeared, everything was quiet and still.

Lindsay had her hands in her hair, shocked into silence.

Suddenly, the door to the sedan opened and a figure rolled out, hitting the ground with a huff. It laid still for a moment, then pushed itself to it's feet. It stumbled a bit then shook it's head like a dog shaking water out of it's coat. It reached back into the car and the speaker on Lindsay's phone cackled. “Kay, uh... I'm here,” said Michael.

The cat trotted up to the hatchback with renewed grace and yanked open the back door. He peered inside, checking over the girl once then looking to the passenger seat where the other black suited man should have been, but he wasn't. Michael squinted, wondering if the passenger had fallen out of the car as well.

“Michael! Behind you!”

Before he could react, he was grabbed by the back of his shirt and tossed backwards onto the street. With cat-like grace, he landed on his feet with a kneel, resting one hand on the pavement for balance. He lifted his head and met with the eyes of the black suit who glared at him through cracked shades. Michael smirked. “You wanna dance?”

The man said nothing and balled his fists, charging at the Hybrid without a word. Michael jumped to his feet and fell into a cat leg stance, which was sort of ironic provided his hybrid, but Dan was more interested in the fact Michael knew something so advanced. Then he remembered Monty and it seemed to make sense.

Michael ducked as the man swung for his face and made for an upper cut into the man's stomach. The agent stumbled passed Michael, who stepped to the side and let the black suit fall. The man's knee hit the ground but he was back on his feet in seconds, turning to face the cat who was no longer in any stance, just standing with his hands balled at his sides, slightly hunched over like an angry feline.

he man dusted himself off and brought up his fists in a street-style-like fashion. Michael huffed in amusement then mirrored the man, jumping from foot to foot quickly.

Lindsay leaned back in her seat and folded her arms behind her head. “This might take a while,” she said. Dan stood right behind her, watching the screen with interest. This is what they did. This is what Rooster Teeth did.

They saved people.

The males were soon at it again, both appearing equal as they exchanged jabs and punches, all of which were blocked with ease. Even so, Michael was - although barely - on the defensive, stepping back periodically when leaning back to dodge a right cross.

“C'mon, Michael, give him a one-two!” Lindsay started yelling, causing Dan to jump in surprise. It was hard to tell if Michael could hear them or not but he wouldn't have been surprised if Michael could feel the energy even from how far away he was. “One shot, one kill! C'mon, baby!”

Michael jumped back a whole stride to gain distance between him and the male, then crouched and kicked out one leg, spinning to swipe the legs out from underneath the black suit. The man hit the ground hard and Michael spared no time jumping onto his chest, grabbing a fist full of hair and slamming the man's head into the ground hard enough to knock the man unconscious.

There was a moment of silence, then Lindsay cheered and Dan sighed in relief. From there, Michael stood and helped the girl out of the back of the truck. She was still unconscious, so he carried her to his sedan, laying her on the back seats. He was about to get into the driver's seat when he paused. He looked at the hatchback, then wandered to the front of it, kneeling down and yanking off the license plate. He carefully made his way back to the man he had knocked unconscious and began to search his pockets for something, anything, but came up with nothing.

He returned to the sedan and got into the driver's seat, thanking God when the car started. He threw the car in reverse to pull away from the wreckage before driving off to return to the base.

...

It took Michael longer to get home than it did for him to get there, but no one complained. Dan and Jack carried the deer to one of the rooms beside Dan's. They laid her down and Dan took to standing in the corner while Jack looked her over carefully. “She'll be fine,” he concluded finally and they left the room to join Micheal and Lindsay in the set room.

Lindsay was sitting on the couch up on the set with Michael's head in her lap, stroking his hair and scratching him behind the ears. At first glance, Dan though Michael was asleep but the swaying of the auburn tail suggested otherwise.

Jack jumped up onto the set and knelt in front of the couch. “Michael, lean up. I need to examine you.” Michael groaned but did so lazily. Jack crouched and began to press down on various spots along the arms to check for any bruising or bleeding.

The wolf adjusted his footing and glanced at Lindsay, who was standing to return to the work space. “So, this is what you guys do,” he said carefully, though he wasn't sure what he was being so careful for. “You save people. Hybrids, right off the street, from the black suits.”

“Why do you call them that?” the lion chuckled, moving onto the next arm as Michael huffed unhappily and stared off into space. “ _Black Suits_ , that's a weird name.”

“It's what I've called them since I was a kid, I guess.” Dan shifted uncomfortably and hoped no one noticed. “Why? What do you guys call them?”

“They call themselves something really fucking dumb,” the cat sighed, ears back. “like the Hybrid Location and Suppression Movement or something.”

“But we just like to call them Assholes,” Lindsay chimed in. “so it doesn't really matter what you call them.”

Dan cracked a bit of a smile, tossing his head back, but he didn't really find the topic all that funny.

“Why don't you go back to bed, Dan?” Jack suggested, poking at a bruise on Michael's cheek, earning a disapproving hiss.

“I'm not tired,” he replied casually. “I literally just got up, like, two hours ago.”

Jack shrugged and didn't argue. “Alright. Welcome to the Night Crew,” he said. Michael offered a half-assed salute with his free arm and Lindsay smiled kindly, to which Dan returned and nodded once.

...

Jack took to teaching Dan the basics of the Night Crew. Michael and Lindsay returned to work. Lindsay kept watch of the cameras that were directed at the place Michael had saved the deer, keeping watch for any of the Black Suits, or Hybrid Location and Suppression Movement guys, that would come along to clean up the mess. “Most likely, they'll send someone in to pick those guys up. They can't have evidence like this laying around.”

Michael was reviewing the evidence he retrieved from the scene. “The guy didn't have any ID, so we won't be able to find anything out about him. _But_ I got the license plate.”

“You knocked that guy right,” Dan said, watching Michael input the license plate into the screen. “Surprised you didn't bring him in for questioning or something.”

“Done that already,” was the distracted reply. “They do _not_ speak, and, well, to be honest, none of us really have the guts to do anything horribly drastic. They're pretty dedicated to the cause and that's all we figured out.” He started to type away at the computer and he sighed, leaning back against the chair as the internet loaded. “We've been hoping these license plates would be able to give us some information on the bastards, but... They're identities are well-hidden. It's as though they don't exist.”

“Maybe 'cause they're working for the Government.” Dan folded his arms. “They ain't gonna just post information on the internet--”

At that moment, a window popped open on the computer screen with the details of the owner of the license plate. There was a moment of silence as Michael raised a confident eyebrow at the baffled Dan and returned to his computer. “One Josh Ornelas, living in-- Oh, hey! New fucking Jersey.” He typed a few words and brought up two more windows; one containing a picture of a home and a profile of this Josh Ornelas, then Michael stopped instantly with a unsatisfied, “Huh.” Pausing for a moment, Michael waved his hand to Dan. “How about you make yourself useful and check the files for a Josh Ornelas, would ya?”

Hesitant, Dan agreed and looked around. Michael seemed to have been more interested in whatever popped up on his screen than directing Dan to what files he was supposed to be looking through. Lindsay gestured towards a computer along the wall and the wolf nodded once. He fell into the seat and looked up at the screen.

All there was to see was just a bar to type into and a SEARCH button. Scratching his head, he typed into the computer, “Joshua Ornelas,” and hit enter. After a few moments of waiting, the computer produced a file of the exact same name. He leaned back, then double-clicked. “Yeah, we've got a file,” he said then, reading over the file. “but I don't think this is the right one. It says here he's a... hybrid.”

Michael stopped suddenly and looked over his shoulder. “Wait, what?”

“Yeah.” At the cat's shock, Lindsay and Jack also halted whatever it was they were doing and tuned into the conversation. “I thought you said they were some Hybrid Suppression Team or something. This guy was definitely a hybrid. An alligator, I think. Or a crocodile. Hard to tell with this picture.”

“Was?”

“He disappeared some few years ago, I think.” Dan scrolled down, speed-reading the information. “If he had family, they might've transferred the car over into their name but... it doesn't mention any immediate family.”

By this time, Michael had already joined him, pushing his wheeled chair to the wolf's side. “Idiot, if the car had transferred names, that name would've come up instead.” He eyed the picture carefully. “Something's not right.”

“What about the plate Lindsay was searching earlier?”

Lindsay shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Nothing like this has ever come up before.” Michael's ears folded back and he squinted at Dan before pushing himself away. “We'll give the address to the Day Team and have them check out the place. There'll probably be someone else living there already, but maybe they can give us some answers.”

“Who's the Day Team?”

“That would be everyone else.” Dan jumped suddenly and spun to find Jack behind him, having moved over to also peer at the screen. “But mostly Ray, Ryan, Geoff, and Burnie. I imagine Ray and Burnie'll be the ones going, though.”

“That reminds me,” Dan began. “how do you hide the horns and the mane and stuff?” Lindsay snorted and looked back to her screen. Michael and Jack walked away, leaving the genuinely confused Brit without his answers. Throwing his arms in the air, he admitted defeat and sat idiotically in his chair. “Yeah, great talk, guys. Really appreciate it.”

He paused for a moment, then turned his gaze back to the computer. He looked between all of the Night Crew, then typed “Gavin Free” into the computer. The file sharing the name appeared and Dan attempted to open it, but he was instead prompted for a password. He stared for a moment, then proceeded to guess with “password”.

Naturally, he was denied access but he couldn't help wondering how perfect it would have been for the password to be password.

Returning to the home screen, he attempted “Dan Gruchy” and a file appeared, also password locked. “Aw,” he whined aloud, earning Michael's attention.

“What the fuck are you doing? Get over here.”

Reluctantly, he joined Michael back at the other computer and watched closely. “What're you doing now?”

“I'm trying to find out if we have any information on Ornelas' case, but that was during our earlier years. I doubt we'll have much on it.” He paused and sighed, running a hand through his hair.

Dan tossed his gaze over to Lindsay and Jack again, then back to Michael. “You've honestly never found a licence plate match before?” he asked.

“Nah, we get matches all the time. But the match to a hybrid? And let me tell you irony that most of the cars we took the plates off of were hybrids. Not...human hybrids, but hybrids as in the cars.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“Point is, most of these plates have been doubled right off of human's cars. Non-hybrid humans who actually have no idea that their plates have been doubled. Most of them were still living in the houses we pinned. I think we only had one missing human before, but that was...different.”

Dan nodded once, staring at the screen intently but not much had changed there. Doubled plates, which means, “Illegal activity.”

“What any part of this made you think this was legal, dude? I'm starting to think you're thicker than Gavin, and that's saying something.”

“Hey, he's actually pretty smart.”

“Oh, God.”

“What I mean is, if the plates were doubled, then the Government might not be behind this.”

“I am about ten seconds from punching you in the fucking mouth.”

“What? If the Government was, then wouldn't they give them their own untraceable licence plates?”

Michael opened his mouth, but nothing came out for a moment. He sat dumbly for a moment before he spat, “How would _you_ know?”

With a grin, Dan replied, “I've always wanted to be in the army.”

Silence.

“That makes no fucking sense.”

“It makes plenty of sense.”

“I think I hate you.”

“Yeah, you're not my favourite either.”

“You're nowhere _near_ my favourite! You're not even on the list. In fact, fuck the list! I don't have time for this bullshit.”

Jack and Lindsay exchanged a look. “This is going to be a long night...”


	7. Friends (and Oneself)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here goes another chapter!

“Dan?”

Briefly, he thought he had heard the voice but just as quickly knew he hadn't. He turned to his window and opened it, peering out into the darkness. “Gavin?” he whispered, and the upside-down profile of Gavin suddenly dropped from the ceiling above. Instead of falling, he remained perfectly still with a grin.

Dan stepped back, smiling slightly, to allow Gavin into his room. “You can show your teeth, ya know, when you smile. It's just me.” The wolf paused, then complied. He had gotten so used to limiting himself to close mouth smirks and half-hearted chuckles. The kids at school had known him to be somewhere between cold and friendly. Low energy, to balance out the ever excited Gavin, who wasn't as talkative or excitable – or dumb – as people often talked about him to be.

But in contrast to Dan, he seemed to be an endless supply of energy. Still, he had no trouble keeping up with the apparently excited Brit, except for the nights Gavin would show up at his window. He would escape from his window after bedtime and fly over the backyard's to Dan's house just down the street. “Please stop doing that,” he insisted quietly, so his parents downstairs didn't hear.

“Why?”

“You'll get caught! What else?”

“No, I won't. Besides, what're they gonna do, anyway?”

“They'll bloody take you away! Have you gone stupid?”

As much as he hated to admit it, that was the truth. He was afraid of a lot of things – large cats, an angry mother, even Gavin to some degree – but the greatest true fear he held close was the fear of losing the one person who understood him. He couldn't trust anyone. He was raised not to trust anyone. It was all he knew, and yet he still trusted himself to Gavin and Gavin held that trust carefully.

As romantic as it sounded, it was still as hard and cold as cash but no amount of money could be traded for the trust he had. Call him old fashioned but he still found value in having friends, even if there was only one.

And if those bastard Black Suits ever took Gavin, Dan was positive he would never see him again. And if he himself was ever found out... He shivered just to think about simply disappearing off the planet.

“Yeah, whatever. Listen, I was thinking...” Despite Dan's anxiety, Gavin always seemed to be carefree about the idea, without a second thought given about his well being, about the disappearances, about the Hybrids taken away by the Black Suits.

Dan shook his head and tuned back in to what Gavin was saying. “What?”

“I know it sounds kinda weird, but listen.” Gavin cleared his throat and straightened his back. He was silent for a moment, then he opened his mouth and a strange sound emitted from his throat. No, it sounded more like a call. A high-pitched and loud _caw_ , exactly like the hawks in the park. “Ain't that cool?”

“Like, a hawk noise?”

“Yeah!”

“Dan, what're you doing up there?”

Both boys froze in terror before Dan cracked open his door just barely so he could yell back down to his mother. “Nothing! I was watching a video. The sound was louder than I thought.”

“Why are you on the computer!? Go to bed! It's passed your bedtime!”

“Alright, mum. Night!” And with that, he shut his door. For a moment, they were afraid to breathe, then Gavin broke into a muffled giggle. Dan managed a nervous smile, then gestured to the window. “Is that all you wanted to show me? Get outta here, you're gonna get me in trouble.”

The wolf started to nudge Gavin towards the window, who flapped his wings in protest, all while trying to stifle his chuckles. “C'mon, Dan! I bet you could make wolf noises if you tried. C'mon, at least try for me? Please?”

For a moment, Dan stopped pushing and stepped back. He thought for a moment, then awkwardly offered a very fake, “Ruff,” to Gavin's dismay.

“Aw, really? I don't even think wolves bark.”

Dan's eyes narrowed and he bared his teeth, snarling with a low growl. “I told you to get out, and don't get caught on your way back.”

Instantly, the hawk's wings poofed and he brought his arms up in defense. “Ah, that's a good growl you got goin' there, Dan.”

“Go on!”

With his traditional strangled, laughter-like yell, he jumped out the window and took to the sky. They met eyes briefly, both grinning to each other, as Gavin disappeared into the night.

...

 Dan awoke to darkness again, thought it was difficult to tell if the sun had risen yet because there were no windows in his temporary room. Thankfully, the bedside table mounted a digital clock, reading, _9:03_ in bright red numbers, though it was difficult to tell if it was the morning or night.

Either he had slept for two hours, or fourteen, but either way, he was ready to return to bed. He rolled over one way, then another, and his head began to fill with questions about the previous night: the trapdoor, the password protected files, the doe Michael rescued from the Black Suits.

Finally, he leaned up. There was also the matter involving the trip to New Jersey, which Dan held interest in. He pushed himself out of bed and changed into a simple t-shirt and jeans before exiting his room. He continued down the hall, slowly measuring his sleepiness, until he heard a voice just out into the set room. “She'll be alright. Physically, she'll be okay, but she said she isn't feeling well, so I gave her some medicine.”

“Oh, so that's where the Pepto Bismol went. Mystery solved.” Entering the set room, he immediately met eyes with Ray who perked up a bit and waved. Jack turned, having his back towards Dan, and he also good morning before disappearing into the work room. “Hey. How'd you sleep?”

“Good, I think...” He scratched the back of his head and peered up in search of windows or another clock. “My sleep schedule is all munged up.”

Ray trotted over, shoving a few files under his arm. “Yeah, I heard about last night. What do you think of the little thing we got going on?”

Dan smiled a bit and shrugged. “Yeah, it's pretty cool. I had no idea people...cared so much.”

“The hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I...” He scratched his neck and shrugged. “I guess I never expected anyone to actually...  _stand up_ to these guys? You know?”

Ray paused for a moment, then nodded once. “Yeah, I know.”

A silence stuck quietly and the rabbit lifted up the papers under his arm to look at them, as Dan tried to think of the next thing to say. “Uh, I was wondering if anyone was going to New Jersey to check where that hybrid used to live.”

“Huh?” He looked up from his files then, again, nodded. “Yeah. I think it's me, Burnie...and Michael, I think. We kinda need someone familiar with the area to go with us.” He paused, then smirked. “You wanna come?”

The wolf ears perked, a dead give-away that was what he was hoping for. "Yeah, sounds like a blast."

Ray pressed his fist against Dan's shoulder with a grin. “It'll be fun!” His eyes darted down and he snorted once. “Dude, your tail...”

Dan peered over his shoulder. Surely enough, his tail was wagging back and forth happily. He turned back to Ray, smiling sheepishly. “A little more in touch with my inner animal, I think.”

“Yeah, we're all a little like that.”

“You never answered my question, earlier. Do you have a little cotton tail?”

“Why wouldn't I?”

“Can I see?”

“Dude, at least by me dinner first!”

There was simultaneous laughter from the two before they realized how much attention they were attracting and quieted down. With the clearing of throats and the shuffling of papers, they regained their composure and posture. For a moment, they said nothing, and Ray opened his mouth to excuse himself when Dan spoke first; “Why did you decide to help out here?”

“Huh? What?” The question seemed to catch him off guard, but since they were talking – privately, at that – Dan refused to let up the opportunity to learn about his new friends. Acquaintances. Co-workers. The type of relationship varied between each person, but it was all the same. It all just boiled down to one question; Why? “What do you mean? Like, why did I start working here?”

Eagerly, Dan nodded and Ray leaned back as though unsure about the motive of the question. He peered around the room then sighed, shrugging slightly. “I wanted to be something cool, like a panda or a cheetah. Instead, I got stuck as a freaking rabbit.” Annoyed, he tugged at the long ears that flopped down in front of his face. “My mom used to tell me over and over to make sure my ears were hidden. You know, like every parent tells their hybrid child. It's not a big secret. Everyone _knows_ we exist. It's just a matter of blending in perfectly. Those who stand out, who are obvious, get taken. Those who pretend to be something they aren't, don't.

“I've always hated being a hybrid. Not only was I a hybrid, but I was a lame one, too. A fucking rabbit, can you believe it? I hate carrots!” Shaking his head, he sighed and cooled, returning to the topic. “I hate it, but fighting here, I hate it a little less. Some people like being hybrids. I don't, but that isn't going to change the fact I'll disappear like everyone else if I get found out. And if there's anything I hate more than being a hybrid, it's that Suppression Team. The Black Suits, I heard you call them. That name is a lot cooler, I think.”

Dan paused, then perked his ears. “But how did you find them?”

Ray scratched his chin and shrugged. “Well, when you hate something, you tend to care less about it. And I got careless, and I was found out. They tried to take me the same way they took Gavin. Barging into my house, flashlights on guns, shouting. I was living alone, so I thought no one would notice that I'd disappeared until a few weeks too late. But, there they were. Burnie, Geoff, and Jack, driving up in that fucking baby blue sedan and...that was it. They saved me, and I agreed to work for them. I owed them a great deal. I got to keep my life _and_ I got to hate it less. Maybe I'll even get to enjoy this.”

There was a moment of silence before rabbit ears perked right on end and folded back over behind his head. “I've really got to get back to work. I've gotta get these files sorted out, then we're gonna get ready to go. I'll come get you when we're ready to leave for New Jersey. In the meantime, you should tell Burnie you're tagging along. This is gonna be great.”

With those final words, Ray hurried off into the work room. Dan stole a look around the room, wondering where Burnie could have been, when he spotted Jack across the set. “Hey!” he chirped, running over to the other. “What's up?”

The lion turned slowly and smiled kindly upon meeting eyes with Dan. “Not much. You?”

“I'm good.”

“You didn't sleep all that much, did you?”

“Is it morning or night?”

“It's nine in the morning.”

Dan scratched the back of his head. “I've really lost track of the days.”

“It'll take a while to get used to the time change, but you'll get the hang of it.” Jack turned back to the wall and held up a nail, driving it in with one hit of the hammer. “Are you going to New Jersey with the others?” Smiling sheepishly, he wondered if it was that obvious. “Just a word of advice; I know you want to find Gavin badly, but don't burn yourself out. You're not going to be any use hungry, exhausted, and cranky. You understand?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. Burnie's in the Break Room. You should go talk to him.”

“Cheers,” Dan said and he started towards the Break Room.

“Oh, and Dan.” The wolf turned once more. “It's good to see you're making friends.” He stopped, allowing the words to process, unable to give a proper response and Jack just turned and continued to hammer nails into the wall. Finally settling on silence as  a response, Dan turned and left the set room.


	8. Promises (and Secrets)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can totally spell Lindsay, watrutalkin' about? Ahahahaha....
> 
> On with the story!

Burnie was in the Break Room, as Jack had said. He held a ham sandwich in one hand, a Styrofoam cup of water in the other, and a cellphone between his shoulder and his ear. “Yeah. Yeah. Yes, I get it, okay. Ten days or the world ends, I understand. ...No, it's called sarcasm! Are you going to lend me the car or not? ... Okay. Thank you. See, it wasn't that hard.” He took another bite of his sandwich and rolled his eyes. “Whatever. Just be here in a few hours. See you in a bit.”

He straightened his posture and the phone fell off his shoulder, hitting the carpeted ground with a metallic thud. Staring at it for a moment, he decided to kick it under the table to deal with later. Looking up, he finally noticed the wolf in the room. “Oh, hey! You're awake. Or were you not sleeping at all?”

Dan smirked awkardly and shrugged. “I'm don't even know anymore.”

“Are you finding your way around just fine?” He stole another bite of his sandwich. “I heard you were helping out with Jack and them last night.”

“Yep,” he said, to answer both questions. “Actually, I was kinda wondering if it'd be alright if I joined you on your way to New Jersey.”

Slowly, Burnie lowered his sandwich from his mouth, seeming to think over this in his head. The silence lasted a little long and one of Dan's ears rested against his head. Finally, the man shrugged. “Yeah, I don't see why not. We have enough room in the car. Do you have any money? Cause you'll be paying for your own food.”

Dan smirked and nodded. “Yeah, I should have enough.” Nodding once, he turned to the door to leave. “Thanks.”

“You know...” The wolf stopped again as Burnie spoke again, stealing a drink of water in the silence. “Gavin was right about you.”

Turning, he met eyes with the man, somewhat of a sad smile gracing his lips. “He talked about me?”

“Yeah, a little.” Burnie took a seat on one of the sofas. “He told me that you don't really smile all that much.”

“Oh. Yeah..” Yet, to further prove Gavin's point, he bared his teeth to reveal the fangs he tried so hard to hide from the world. Burnie seem intrigued, glancing from the fangs to the ears to the tail, and even the hands that hide well-trimmed claws and little pricks of fur-like hairs on his knuckles and forearms he shaved consistently to keep his appearance as human-like as possible.

He could spend hours before school, keeping to his appearance to simply pass as a human but even then, his wolf-like appearance would never go unnoticed. When high school came about, some of the girls became scared of him and the boys threatened. Even has he tried to assume a position as least threatening as possible, always the losing side of schoolyard brawls, the people he knew were always weary. Some whispers nicknamed him a Beast but no one dared to say it outright to his face.

Even in gym, he remained fully clothed so no one could see the fur on his back and chest and legs. His Hybrid was so pronounced, even beyond Gavin who only seemed to possess the wings on his back and the talons on his nails and not much else. He was jealous of Gavin's Hybrid, in all honest. He could fly with the birds and kept little to no boundaries, save for the days his wings were bound to pass of as a human.

Even with his bindings, Gavin was still given a freedom no man nor mammal Hybrid would ever experience.

“Huh.” Dan was snapped back into reality, his eyes focusing on Burnie as the man stole another bite of his sandwich. “So I take it you don't laugh all that much, then.” Dan shook his head and the man offered an apologetic smile. “Loosen up a bit around here, huh? It's not like any of us care.”

“Old habits die hard, mate,” was the reply. “I'm gonna go pack.”

Burnie waved once, dismissing him once, then following with a, “Pack for a week, alright? You got three hours!”

Dan waved once over his shoulder and left the room.

...

He had his clothes gathered for a week, packing quickly so he could save a few hours to himself. He threw his duffel bag onto his bed, leaving behind only half of his clothes behind. He had packed light to begin with, but he was starting to wish he hadn't. He hadn't seen a hint of washer or dryer since he arrived and he hadn't the slightest clue where the nearest laundromat was.

Perhaps he should've dedicated a few hours to exploring his new, temporary home. But he was leaving again, so maybe it didn't matter.

Leaving his duffel bag in place, he left his room and entered the set room again. There, he saw the deer girl talking to Monty. He gestured to the dorms and she nodded, touching her forehead. She turned and walked towards the halls. Briefly, they met eyes then she brushed passed him and returned to her room. Stepping back into place, he turned a questioning gaze to Monty, who seemed exhausted. He nodded in greeting, then disappeared into a room Dan hadn't been in before.

The entire set room was empty now and he wondered where everyone had gone. Suddenly, a thought quick crossed his mind and he stole another look around the room. With the silence hanging over, he took the moment to rush across to the stage and leap up around the table. Pushing back a red curtain behind the chair, he disappeared into the shadows of the backstage. He peered around the darkness and spotted the door leading to the storage room.

He felt around his pockets for his phone but they were empty. With a sigh, he slipped into the room anyway, gently shutting the door behind him. It was pitch darkness but it didn't remain that way for long.

Dan lowered his head and pressed his palms against his eyes. For a few seconds, he was completely still. Finally, he raised his chin and opened his eyes, greeted with the wonder of night vision.

In the back of his mind, he could recall the first moment he ever sawnight vision. It wasn't until much later, even long after Gavin had gained curiosity of their Faunus traits. It was a dark and desperate night, too close a call, even to Gavin's oblivious standards. It was that night Gavin was finally aware of the fine line he walked between game and reality.

If only he didn't need to find out in such a horrific way. If only Gavin had listened to him. If only Dan had been just a few moments faster. There were many “if onlys” that followed the cold night but the wolf kept those out of his mind as best he could.

Now, Dan was quietly crawling along between the boxes of hidden things that had no meaning. He was there for one thing and one thing only. He retraced his steps of the night before, moving ever so carefully so he would not make a sound.

Finally, he discovered the single box on the floor and he moved it, revealing the trapdoor underneath. He perked his ears and listened carefully for any sounds out of the ordinary. He could hear Jack and Ryan talking far off in the set room, far from the storage door, and Dan decided he was in the safe for the moment.

He positioned himself behind some boxes so he would be hidden should anyone open the door, then reached over and grabbed the handle of the trapdoor. Slowly, soundlessly, he pried it open and he rested the door on it's hinges.

Underneath the door, there was only a small storage space only five inches in length and width and three inches in height. Inside the storage space was a thin, unlabeled file. Dan reached in and withdrew the file from the space.

Suddenly, laughter erupted from outside the door and Dan froze, holding his breath and his ears perked on end, listening for any other sound from the set room. The laughter died down and silence and darkness met again in the storage room.

Dan returned his attention to the file in his hand, eager to read what it held inside. Opening the file, there was only a handful of sheets, no more than five and at least three to count. He squinted, reading the bolded and underlined title at the top of the sheet.

**Codes For File Access**  

Dan hesitated, staring at the sheet of paper. Underneath was a list of names and a set of numbers and letters. Some names he recognized. Others, he did not. However, a few names stuck out to him on the page.

 _Michael Jones_  
V27I72N22C77E72N27T

 _Ray Narvaez Jr._  
N52A55R25V22A52E52Z

 _Gavin Free_  
D87A78V88I77D

 _Daniel Gruchy_  
C01H10A11R00L10E01S

“The hell...?” He stared at the paper for a few moments, attempting to understand what significance this paper had that it needed to be locked away under a trapdoor hidden in a storage room. What connection did these names and numbers have together? Quietly, he noted the codes under the names, especially his own, before the questions began to gather again.

He slipped the paper back into the file and stood, shutting the trapdoor gently and replacing the box on top of it.

Quietly, he made his way back to the door and listened carefully. He was met with silence and he concluded there was no one in the set room. He gingerly opened the door and peered around for any bystanders. There were none and Dan stepped out of the room, shutting it ever so gently behind him.

He looked out through the curtains, then jumped onto the couch just as the door opened from the work room and Lindsay sauntered out, yawning loudly, followed by a slightly more alert Michael.

Lindsay waved once to Dan on the couch and stopped at the door leading to the front hall, looking over his shoulder at Michael. “I'll see you in a few days, then,” she said finally and the cat nodded once, scratching the back of his head.

“Yeah, definitely. Take care of yourself.” He put a hand on her shoulder and pecked her on the lips. Briefly and suddenly, but Dan was certain he saw it. “See you later.”

“Yep.” And she exited out the front hall.

Michael sighed and turned around to spot a jaw-dropped Dan on the couch. “The fuck you looking at?” he snapped, though he was smirking so the wolf assumed the other was not as angry as he let on. The cat jumped up and sat across from Dan on the couch.

“I didn't know you and Lindsay were dating.”

“Nope.” Dan looked over and Michael held up his left hand, a gold band on his ring finger shining in the light of the stage. “Even better.”

“Married!?”

“No, idiot! We're engaged.” Smirking, he examined the ring for a moment, then starting to play with it subconsciously. “Lindsay and I are gonna be the first open Hybrid-Human marriage right after all this shit is over.”

“Really? That's kinda cool. It'll be a while, won't it?”

Michael shrugged. “Yeah, but it'll be worth it.”

For a moment, it was quiet. Then, “That's really nice.”

The cat looked up and smiled, much more genuine than before, if Dan had ever seen him smile before. At that moment, Burnie entered the set room, glancing up at the two Hybrids on the sofa. “Kay, guys, grab your stuff. Car's here.”

“What, already?” Both men leaned forward, surprised by the news. “I thought it wasn't coming for another two hours.”

“Well, our delivery guy was a lot faster than I expected. Could one of you go find Ray?”

“On it!”

Dan paused, looking between Michael and Burnie, both of who just left the set room in different directions. With a huff, he stood and returned to his room, snatching his duffel bag and phone off his bed and making his way to the front hall where Burnie and a hatchback awaited him.


	9. The Road (and Destination)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New chapter! Things are started to pick up. We begin the thickening of the plot...  
> On with the story!

Leaving wasn't hard. It didn't take long to throw their belongings into the back of the hatchback and take a seat. Burnie was driving and Ray called shotgun, so Dan and Michael were forced to sit in the back. They waved goodbye, though Dan wasn't too interested in doing so. He did shake Monty's hand once, who wished him safe travels, and Dan told him to take care.

They left only after forty-minutes and the first two hours of the drive consisted of finding the best route to New Jersey, arguing over the radio station, and once Dan panicked that they were driving on the wrong side of the road (which earned a loud yell from Michael and a brief spat in the back seat).

“Is this what it's like to drive with children?” Ray asked Burnie, adjusting the station once more before deciding to turn it off.

Already, Burnie was looking tired and twice he had threatened to turn the car around if Michael and Dan didn't quit fighting. “Remind me to never have kids,” he sighed.

In the back, Dan and Michael were not speaking. So far, they had argued over everything and it mostly ended in a physical skirmish that could barely be contained in the small space of the backseat. However, after their fights and the cat and the wolf would retreat to their corners, there was always a smirk across Michael's lips, showing the perfectly human teeth Dan inwardly admitted he was jealous of.

Why didn't Michael have fangs like him?

“Are we there yet?” Dan whined after only another hour. The car burst into laughter for a few moments then they quieted down and no one answered his question. For a moment, he was silent, waiting for some sort of explanation only to earn none. “Is that a no?”

Ray snorted.

...

“Driving for longer than eight hours is dangerous. It's actually a law, I think.”

Eight hours later, Dan realized that this trip would take longer, _much_ longer, than he was anticipating. Burnie did tell him they were leaving for a week, but he did not mention that four days out of that week would be spent driving.

“Then let me drive,” Michael spat, holding out his hand. “I don't want to be away any longer than we have to.”

They had pulled off the highway to a rest stop that home a hotel, a convenience store, and a few fast food joints. Ray excused himself to buy a meal while Burnie and Michael argued about whether or not to keep driving and Dan was left leaning against the hood of the car. He had placed a small order in for a cheeseburger and a small soda but it would be hard to tell how long Ray would be.

With everyone preoccupied, he was left alone with his thoughts. Here he was, off the side of the highway under the buzzing gas station lights and moths attracted to them. Here he was, under a light polluted sky when the sun had long gone down and not any closer to finding Gavin. God knew where he was, whether he was thousands of miles away or perhaps under their very noses. Sighing, he reached up and ran his hands through his hair. The stress was creeping up on him again.

He glanced over his shoulder at Michael and Burnie, who continued to argue to each other, then stood straight, walking to the convenience store just to the left of the car.

A bell rang upon entering and the woman behind the counter stood straight on cue. He browsed their wares for a moment before deciding on a bag of plain Ruffles then approached the counter, dropping the bag and picking up a lighter from the display stand on the left. He glanced briefly at the colourful array of cigarettes behind her without reading the labels. “Dunhill, king sized.”

The woman paused, then turned and looked to the selection before turning back. “I'm sorry, we don't carry that.”

He sighed, then opened his wallet to throw a twenty on the counter. “Your strongest, then.”

The woman surveyed the selection for a moment, which Dan stole to glance out the window at the car. Michael had taken the keys from Burnie and they all seemed to have been looking around like lost rats in a sewer; there was only two directions to look and neither seemed to have what they wanted.

“Your change is seven-fifty. Have yourself a good night, sir.”

He nodded to her, taking the change, the chips, the lighter, and the pack of cigarettes. “What do you think these are for?” The woman chuckled understandingly and he nodded to her again, exiting the convenience store. “Cheers.” Opening a pack, he pulled out a stick and pressed it between his lips, lighting it with his new shiny red lighter.

Ray was the first to spot him, watching him inhale a lungful of smoke and huff it back out again, coughing twice then regaining composure. “The hell? I didn't know you smoked.”

“I don't.” Looking to the cigarette in his hand, he changed his answer. “I used to, a couple of years ago, but I quit.”

“Not anymore, apparently. Oh, here's dinner.”

Taking the bag from Ray's hand, he nodded and offered him a cigarette, which the rabbit declined. In the same minute, they were joined by Michael and Burnie. “No smoking in the car,” was all Burnie had to say about it.

They stood around the car and chatted idly while they waited for Dan to finish his cigarette. Ray had eaten his burger and they all piled back in the car, Michael taking the driver's seat, and they drove again.

... 

Burnie fell asleep in the passenger’s seat and Ray in the back seat. Dan stayed awake with Michael, slowly reaching their twenty-four hour marks of being awake. “Maybe we should pull over and rest a bit, huh?”

“Are you tired?”

For a moment, Dan was silent. The cat was oddly quiet, perhaps in respect of those sleeping or perhaps he was off somewhere else, too. Then, he leaned back against the seat again. “No.”

“Neither am I.”

Another silence rang, though interrupted by Burnie's loud snoring and Ray's occasional grunt. “You worried about him a lot, too, right?”

Michael snorted and tightened the grip on the steering wheel. “Who? Gavin? Hell, no. He's a fucking idiot.” Dan turned his head to stare at Michael through the rear view mirror. “He fucks everything up, whether he's on your team or not, in his own, stupid, Gavin-ish way. With his annoying-as-hell scream and stupid-ass methods. There's no way in hell--” And he stopped suddenly, looking away from the road briefly to glance out the window, as though to catch himself and regain his composure. “Somehow, someway, he'll fuck them all up, and he won't even know how he did it.” He smirked. “There's no reason to be worried for him.”

For a moment, the wolf wondered if Michael saw a side of Gavin he had never witnessed before. Dan always saw himself as Gavin's protector. A role he took on himself, much to Gavin's dismay. Much to his own dismay. But he couldn't let Gavin down. Gavin was his friend.

Though now, he had come to wonder if he truly knew him at all.

... 

When the sun rose, Burnie awoke and insisted he and Michael switch taking the driver's seat. It wasn't until after Michael curled up in the backseat that Dan dared to rest his eyes. He itched for a cigarette but he tried his best to will himself to sleep.

The sun reached the highest point in the sky when Ray woke him. Dan shot up with a start, Ray jumping back as quickly as his rabbit reflexes could make him move. “Dude, chill! We're at the address. Kinda need you awake in case anything happens.”

He apologized quietly and got out of the car, immediately popping out a cigarette from his pack and lighting it quickly. Burnie had already approached the door. Michael wasn't too far behind him, rubbing his eyes and yawning for the third time.

Burnie knocked on the door three times and they all waited patiently, but there was no reply. “Kill the cigarette, dude.” Annoyed, Dan complied, crushing the embers out of the end and slipping the remainder back into the pack. “Wait, shut up.”

“What? What is it?”

“I said, shut up!”

The four went into silence, all tense save for Michael who still seemed to have been delayed in understanding the urgency of the situation. Briefly, Dan stole a glance around the area for any nearby bystanders before removing his hat and perking his ears, earning Ray's temporary attention. He bent his knees, lowering his head and sniffing the low area. He sorted through the scent of tuna, roses, and a ham sandwich before he found what he was looking for.

Wait. Did he smell bananas?

By this time, Burnie had tested the door and opened it, pushing it open gently. Dan continued to sort through the various scents, just as he had learned as a child with Gavin's experiments, sifting out gunpowder, expensive cologne, and the overpowering scent of bananas. “Wait, guys, something isn't right.”

Suddenly, the explosive sound of guns blew from the house and each of the four members scattered in their own direction to avoid the bullets. Dan jumped in front of the garage and peered around the corner to the front door. Out stormed three Black Suits; two armed humans and one incredibly odd Ape Hybrid. Though, not as though Dan would have expected an Ape Hybrid to look. He was perfectly divided between man and Ape; his right side covered in black fur and skin, one large arm and one large leg barely contained by the tuxedo he wore and the other perfectly man with a tuff of black hair and two much smaller limbs on the same side.

“Bloody hell...”

Briefly, he met eyes with the dark brown irises of the Ape-Man and he ducked behind the wall again for safety. He peered around in search of his comrades; Burnie barely hidden beside the stairs with a pistol in his hands, Michael taking refuge behind the house beyond the stone porch, and Ray scampered to safety behind the cars in the driveway.

With an inhale, he braced himself for battle. There would be no easy way out of this, and he doubted the black suits would let them go.

He searched briefly for any sort of weapon, wishing he had thought of it sooner. “Come out and play, little pup.” The voice was heavily distorted, shredded between a normal human voice and the usual grunts of Apes. Reaching up to grab his ears, he remembered he had removed his hat. Inhaling, he tried to swallow back his fear.

They were here. They knew. They were going to take him. The Ape rounded the corner and Dan jumped to his feet instantly, trying to gain distance between himself and the Ape that stood several feet taller than him.

“Oh, shit,” Ray gasped from behind the car. Shots were fired off around the corner and some of the neighbours screamed in terror. Bullets were trading just around the corner but Dan was far more focused on the monstrosity in from of him.

“Do you know what I am?” the Ape asked, slowly approaching Dan step-by-step. “I am perfection.”

The words sent chills down his spine. A horrific, familiar chill. “My God...”

“I,” the Ape grinned. “am a Perfect Hybrid.” 


	10. Of Broken Glass (and Bullets)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What is editing?  
> Also, sorry for the long wait! I have been helping out with Threads of Fate, plus school has started up for me over here. So, I hope to be getting more chapters out soon, in time. Thanks for waiting!  
> On with the story!

The garage doors were made of metal, and Dan found this out the hard way.

He was lifted several inches off the ground, his back cold against the garage door, as the ape hybrid held a firm grasp on his throat. Dan choked and gasped, fingers digging into the gorilla-like hand as he was pinned up against the door. “Listen, mate, I'm sure we can talk this out...”

The ape chuckled mutilated between the animalistic grunt and a sly, human laugh as though his voice had been run through a mixer. “I'm not really the talking type.”

A humourless chuckle. “Oh, lovely.”

“Cool, neither am I.” All too suddenly, wood broke over the ape's head and the grip on Dan's throat was dropped. The wolf hit the ground and fell into a kneel, rolling away from the self-acclaimed 'Perfect Hybrid' as the ape felt the back of his head and examined the damage done to him.

Ray stumbled back, staring at the broken piece of wood in his hands then back to the attacker. “That did not work as well as I wanted it to.” He stiffened as the ape turned his attention to the rabbit, who dropped the wood and raised his hands. “I was joking about the whole talking thing. Could we maybe arrange a meeting sometime next week to chat? You like sushi at all?”

Picking up one of the larger pieces of wood by his feet, the ape stood straight and chucked the wooden stake in Ray's direction, who rolled to one side and jumped back up again into a street-style stance. “Strong, silent type, huh? That's cool. I can respect that.” Jumping from one foot to another, he brought up his fists and watched as the massive gorilla approached him, certain of himself.

Dan searched the driveway in search of any weapon, but was left with nothing. Well, there was a garage... Running to it and praying the someone kept the garage doors unlocked, he crouched and lifted the door with all his might. Slowly, but surely, the door rose and he pushed it to the top.

There, he was greeted with something dull and shiny.

“ _Fucking dammit! You son of a bitch! Die already!_ ”

“Where did you learn to shoot!? The Girl Scouts!?”

“Shut the fuck up!”

Hearing Michael and Burnie's voice was a relief, though the sound accompanied with gunshots and bullets grazing into wood was not. Dan tried to push the thoughts into the back of his mind as he shuffled through the many weapon choices he was greeted with.

Outside the garage, Ray and the ape were almost toe-to-toe now, the black suit towering over him with a toothy grin. The rabbit inhaled deeply and allowed himself one hard gulp. “Why do _I_ have to fight the big scary ape man?”

Not missing a beat, the large man swiped his arm with the intention of striking Ray upside the head. He was fast, but Ray was faster and he ducked underneath it. Making use of the situation, he attempted a gut shot, trying to favour the human half of the abdomen than the ape side. Even so, it felt like he was punching brick and the black suit was unfazed.

Ray, however, pulled back his fist with a pained, “Ah, ahh...” and shook out his hand. The ape laughed, which earned a half-assed sneer from the smaller hybrid. “Oh, go fuck yourself.” And he attempted another punch. A kick. Charging at him with his shoulder. The ape did nothing but stand still, chuckling at the rabbit's attempts to do any damage. “This is bullshit!”

On cue, metal collided with the back of the ape's head. He leaned forward with a yelp, rubbing the back of his head. Slowly turning, he made eye contact with a baffled Dan and a tire iron. “What the bloody hell!?”

Ray threw his arms in the air. “I know, right!?”

Annoyed, the ape stood straight again and cracked his neck. “Play time is over.”

Stealing the chance for the first move, Dan jumped onto the large man's back (realizing just how _massive_ the black suit was) and wrapped his arms around his neck. He dropped the iron at the ape's feet, motioning for Ray to take it.

The large man spun in a circle, searching his surroundings before slamming his back – and Dan – against the car they arrived in. Dan huffed as the air was forced from his lungs and his grip loosened enough for the ape to grab his arms and throw him over his shoulder so the wolf landed hard against the pavement driveway on his back. Wolf-like, he yelped loudly.

Then, he lifted one foot high into the air and Dan rolled to the side just to avoid the foot stomp down hard where his head used to be. Ray stole the moment to swing the tire iron into the man's human ribs, one of them cracking audibly upon contact. "Yes!" The ape howled then spun hard, fast, slamming his gorilla-like forearm against Ray's head and the rabbit crashed against the car hard enough to break the window.

He collapsed, the tire iron clinking away from his hand, and he groaned loudly, stunned for the moment.

The ape held his ribs for a moment, snarling at the half-unconscious hybrid on the ground, carefully deciding how to end his fate. Turning to the car, he punched the window and snapped a sharp of glass from the remains. A tremor ran through the wolf as the black suit approached the rabbit, picking him up by the front of his hoodie, and training the pointed edge for the young hybrid's neck.

A surge of instinct ran through his blood stream and Dan charged, a deep snarl rising from his throat as he jumped onto the ape's back and sank his fangs into the shoulder as far as he could make them go. The gorilla howled in agony and slammed his shoulder into the car again to shake the wolf off. Dan hit the ground into a kneel, only gaining his senses long enough to raise his arm and protect himself from the swing of the glass, though the window shard tore through the skin on his arm and again, in a moment of weakness, across his cheek.

Whimpering, he kicked the ape in the stomach and grabbed the human arm holding the glass. The black suit grabbed one of his arms and pinned it against the ground, leaving it a struggle between the wolf and the ape and the shard of glass only inches from Dan's face; the only thing keeping the weapon from making a right mess of his face was a single grip on the man's human wrist and it became nothing more than a power struggle.

For a few moments, this held, and the glass inched closer and closer to Dan's eye, forcing him to turn his head to the side slightly, slowly realizing that he was going to lose.

And, like a miracle from Heaven, the tire iron slammed into the ape's temple and he rolled off Dan, grabbing his head in agony. Ray stood, leaning heavily against the car, the metal rod in hand. For a moment he paused, then he shook his head and chuckled. “I wish I had something cool to say right now, but I...don't.”

Behind them, someone screamed and Dan prayed it wasn't Michael or Burnie. Instead, the two human black suits ran out from behind the garage door, one hold their arm and the other limping, and motioned towards the van on the other side of the road. “Trevor, let's go!”

The ape stood then and, with one massive sweep of his gorilla arm, knocked Dan into Ray, causing them both to fall. Michael and Burnie appeared then, still firing after the enemies as they crossed the street and disappeared into the van, the ape barely squeezing into the back. The tires squealed and they were gone, Burnie cursing bullet proof tires as they disappeared around the corner.

“Let's chase 'em,” Ray said, though it sounded more like a suggestion with his semi-slurred speak and he hadn't even gotten up off the ground yet.

The cat walked over to them, looking them each up and down, offering Ray a hand up off the ground while Burnie aided Dan. “You guys ate _shit_.”

“Thanks for the update,” spat the rabbit with his ears folded back awkwardly.

Dan remained quiet, trying to form pictures and moments in his head but he seemed to have temporarily lost his memory of the last ten minutes.

Once everyone was on their feet, Burnie started towards the front door again, which was now open. “Let's investigate. There might be something in there to tell us where they went.”

Michael threw his arms in the air and a bleeding cut could be seen under his arm. “Yeah, maybe they left a fucking note or something. 'We went to the grocery store. Be home soon. XOXO, Bad Guys.'” Ray snorted.

Burnie ignored him and went inside anyway, Michael promptly following suit despite his doubts. Ray glanced back at Dan, who was staring deep into the driveway. “Hey. Earth to Dan the Man. Anyone home?” Looking up, he met eyes with the rabbit, who was bleeding from a wound on the left side of his forehead. Both hybrids seemed tired and out of it, but Dan was far somewhere else. “You alright, man?”

“Yeah, I...” He paused. “I was just thinking. That's all.”

Ray sighed and trotted up the steps to the front door and Dan followed, the pain in his limps going numb, thankfully.

As Burnie explored, the Lads minus Gavin plus Dan took a moment to look over their wounds and attempt to treat them. “Maybe there's a first aid kit around here or something.” Ray stood, looking for the door leading to the bathroom, then stopped. “Oh.”

The boys paused, looking up to Ray, then following his gaze. Standing at the door to the basement was a genuinely confused black suit with a paper in his hands. He met eyes with the hybrids and his jaw opened partially. “Uh...”

Burnie reentered the room at that moment and spotted the awkward stand off between the hybrids and the black suit. Stillness stole the spotlight.

...

They were now in the basement. The black suit was tied to a chair, and Ray insisted on mood lighting. There was only one light on in the room, except it was a freestanding lamp in the corner and it wasn't really all that menacing.

Still, they worked with what they had and everyone but Burnie stuck to the darker corners of the room. The man stepped forward into the light, holding his chin up high. “So,” he said uncertainly, looking back at the others in the shadows briefly before turning back to their prisoner. “Who are you?”

Michael slapped his palm against his forehead.

Almost instantly, the prisoner's guard dropped, raising an eyebrow in question. “What the hell is this? Are you guys trying to interrogate me?”

Burnie paused. “Uh...”

“Oh, my God.” And the rabbit disappeared into another room.

“Yes, we are,” Burnie finally said, steeling himself though it was quite clear this wasn't his field of expertise. Though, not in the mood for a Q&A session, Dan decided to let the highest of sorority deal with the mess. “Now, tell us everything you know.”

For a moment, there was no answer. The black suit looked between each man in the room, including Ray as he returned with a soft drink. Shrugging, he nodded. “Okay.”

Everyone squawked a noise of bafflement. “Wait, what? Really?” Burnie leaned forward, eyes blinking wide in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

“ _No_ ,” the man groaned sarcastically. “I only said that to psyche you out. Of course I'm serious! Do you guys need confirmation for everything? You are seriously the worst interrogators this world has ever seen.”

“But why?” Burnie had completely dropped the tough guy act (which was good, in Dan's opinion, because he really didn't look intimidating in anyway). “I mean, not that we aren't appreciative or anything, but like... I mean...”

“I didn't like 'em,” was the honest reply.

“You... didn't like them.”

“Nah. The pay sucked, my superiors were assholes...”

Michael shook his head. “Is, is this some kind of joke?”

The black suit rolled his eyes. “Listen, I didn't really want to join them to begin with. My parents were apart of them, so they made me join, and I don't agree with the whole thing. I'm taking my first ticket out of that organization. Besides, my teammates abandoned me! The fuckers.”

“This is going better than planned,” Ray mumbled, taking a sip of his pop.

Burnie looked back at the others, who all shrugged indifferently, leaving the man to make a final decision. “Cool, sounds fine by us.” He turned back to the prisoner. “You still haven't told us your name yet.”

The black suit shifted in his seat and looked back up to meet Burnie's eyes. “Gustavo Sorola. Or just Gus is fine, too. Some assholes just don't know how to pronounce a name.” 


	11. Reality (and Dreams)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am now going to try to update every week, if I can. Anyways, please comment! I know that it's super annoying but it just let's me know that people are still interested in the story and that I should still continue on with it and finish it and whatnot. Again, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks!  
> On with the story.

“As someone who's been in the organization my whole life, I do actually have a lot of information I can offer.” He paused. “Except for the location of your friend.”

With formalities out of the way, they had gotten right to business. They had untied Gus and they all moved upstairs to the dining room table. Ray suggested food and Michael raided the cupboards and fridge, producing some snacks for them to eat as they talked, while Ray searched for a medical kit.

The first order of business was Gavin, which Dan was the first to ask about. “He could be anywhere in the world, really. They'll move Hybrids to different countries for various reasons. He could be in the middle of China for all we know.”

The news was disheartening. Dan buried his face into his hands and stayed there for a little while. Burnie adjusted in his seat. “Is it possible for you to find him?”

“I could, but it might take a while.” He placed a folder on the table and folded his fingers, resting his hands on the folder. “They just don't let anyone near the files, ya know. There's only a handful of people who can actually view them.”

Michael and Ray appeared from the kitchen and put down an armful of food and a first aid kit onto the dining room table. Despite all the food, no one moved to eat, except for Burnie, who grabbed the back of chips in front of him and broke open the bag, eating quickly a few chips while Gus thought deeply about what he was supposed to do.

“Dude, what're you doing?” Dan broke out of thought, then checked himself. He had been moving instinctively, licking the wound on his arm. Pausing, he brushed his tongue onto his shirt and smacked his lips awkwardly before pretending it never happened. Michael and Ray were still staring hard at Dan but Burnie was more focused on what Gus was going to say next.

“I don't know...” he finally said after a moment, running one hand through his hair. “There's thousands upon thousands of files to sort through just to find one particular Hybrid. And without knowing his assigned ID code, it could take months, even _years_ to find him.” After a moment of silence, he finally met Burnie's eyes. “But, I can look into finding the locations of the other bases. It isn't much, but you'll at a much bigger advantage than you would be without them. I can also offer you maps of the shipment routes, though only those in America.”

Dan pressed his fists against the table. “Why would it take so bloody long just to find a name?”

“Because all of our files are only saved in a physical format – on paper, in files – to prevent people from hacking the system and downloading the files. These files would tell us everything about that particular hybrid, including the location of the base they would be held at.

"These guys put a lot of thought into their system. Not only are the files locked up tight within the head facility, but they are all labelled by numbers. ID Codes. Without those ID codes, it's almost impossible to find the hybrid's particular file. Each base has a copy of the hybrids file. When the Hybrid is moved, so is the file.”

Ray paused, one ear twitching nervously. “So, basically, in order to find Gavin, we have to break into the base where all the head honcho's are, break in, search through each and every file individually until we find Gavin's file, _then_ go to the facility he's at, break in, and get him out? So, two B'n'E's.”

“Sounds easy enough,” commented Michael.

Gus laughed and shook his head. “There's no way into the main base without a Key Card.”

Michael shrugged. “Fine. We'll steal one.”

“Ever seen Mission Impossible? With the eye thing, and the sound censor, and the heat temperature thing?”

“We'll do it like in the movie. Through a vent.”

“The place is airtight sealed. There's an oxygen tank so that people can breath in there. There's no way inside.”

“No way in, no way out,” Ray chanted, which only earned him an annoyed glare from everyone at the table. “Trying to lighten the mood. Sorry.”

Turning back to the conversation at hand, Burnie met eyes with the black suit again. “How do you know so much about that place?"”

“Rumours,” was the simple answer. “Everyone talks about that place. We're all baffled by the measures they've taken to protect themselves. They don't want anyone to find them, or ruin what they have. I can tell you now, they're doing something insane.”

Intrigued by this, Burnie leaned forward, placing the chips back on the table. “What sort of thing?”

Dan lifted his head suddenly, ears perked as a realization dawned on him. “Like that ape guy, right? He claimed he was a Perfect Hybrid.” The words rang in his mind. It was abnormal.

“Yeah, like him.” Shifting his seat, Gus folded his hands onto the table again. “I'm not sure why, but there are Hybrids who work for HL. They're different though. They act differently from other hybrids.”

The cat's ears perked. “HL?”

“Short for HLSM. Er, Hybrid Location and Suppression Movement.”

Michael suddenly looked disgusted.

“Point is,” Gus continued. “there is more to this... hunting and kidnapping hybrids than we think. Most of us aren't even informed of what's going on most of the time. A lot of the people who work for the Movement are just blind haters who think they're riding the world of hybrids.”

For a moment, there was a tense silence. Finally, Burnie spoke. “Alright. We'll take all the information you can give us. Just write it down and then we'll go our separate ways.” He picked the chips back up off the table. “You should get back to the others before they start to suspect something.”

Gus nodded, then Michael trotted off in search of a pen and paper. For a few moments, Dan stared off into space, forcing himself to think about picking something out of the array of food in front of him and _not_ Gavin, when he noticed Gus was staring at him quite intently. He met the gaze and quirked an eyebrow. “Take a picture. It'll last longer.”

“No...” Gus removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes. “I just feel like I've seen you somewhere before.”

Before Dan could inquire further, Burnie tapped the table, then gesture to Dan and Ray. “Could you two run guard duty in case those assholes get back before we're ready?”

The duo exchanged glances, then shrugged and nodded, making their way to the door. Quietly, he could hear Burnie talking to Gus but Ray shut the door before he could make out any words. “Well, at least we're a little bit closer,” the rabbit sighed, taking a seat on the front porch. “Think they'll be back?”

“With the way we kick ass, I reckon not.”

“We didn't kick anything. That hybrid was absolutely brutal...”

“Speakin' of brutal...” Dan sat beside Ray and rested the medical kit on the cement step. “You're face was given a right whack against the window.”

“Broke it, I think.”

“Your nose?”

“The window.”

“Ah.”

For several moment, Dan tended to Ray's bleeding head wound. It had been cleaned earlier, just before they met with Gus, but blood was still dripping down the side of his face. The wound was cleaned and dressed, then Ray took the kit and started to treat the cuts on Dan's face and arm.

Once, Ray shook his head as he replayed the entire battle in his head. “I can't believe you bit him. Of all the things you could have done, you _bit_ him.”

Dan said nothing.

Even after the wounds had been dressed, they took the moment to check for other unseen injures. There was nothing greatly noticeable but, when questioned, Ray admitted he was slightly dizzy, mostly likely from a minor concussion. They sat quietly on the front porch, watching the world go back. When enough time passed, Dan pulled out his half-smoked cigarette from earlier and finished it.

It was a twenty minutes later that Burnie, Gus, and Michael all emerged from inside. “Alright, we're going back to Austin,” Burnie said then. Dan met with Michael's eyes and found absolute coldness from the cat's gaze. Immediately, he wondered what had transpired inside that had made Michael so suddenly distant.

“I'm going to call my colleagues, but I'll wait half an hour after you've left to give you some time to get out of the area. I've given you my personal number. If you need anything, just call, and I'll see what I can do. Until the Movement is stopped, we can't meet personally. Keep contact to a minimum and to emergencies only.” Taking Burnie's hand to shake, he nodded. “When this whole thing ends, we should meet for some coffee.”

Burnie nodded, shaking Gus's hand firmly. “I look forward to it.”

From there, they said their goodbyes and all climbed into the car.

There was nothing special about the ride home, save for that Michael did not speak a word the entire way back.

... 

When they returned home, night had fallen. They were greeted by an exhausted Lindsay, who had brought her car. Michael promptly threw his stuff in the back then mentioned they had to get onto Nightshift. Ray waved goodbye and started on his usual walk home.

Dan dragged his duffel bag into his room. He noticed that the deer girl had gone and he was now the only resident in the dorms again. He unpacked his clothes and threw everything into one corner of his room, too exhausted to properly sort his stuff.

Then he moved to the bathroom, locating a first aid kit under the sink, and he replaced his bandages. He wiped the blood off his face and examined the cut. It seemed to have scabbed over for the most part, though his stubble hid half of the scar. The other half rested just below his eye. “Better not scar,” he mumbled to himself but he figured it was too late for that.

After bandaging his arm, he peeked into the work room to check up on Jack, Michael, and Lindsay. They seemed silent for a moment part. Jack was catching Michael up on a few Hybrids that had been saved, thanks to Ryan stepping in while Michael was away. He still seemed upset but responsive to what Jack said.

Dan could not figure out why Michael was acting so strangely. It was almost like he was mad at him, but Dan knew how Michael acted when he was anger. Usually, the other was passive-aggressive, with blunt comments addressing the wolf's intelligence. Now, he was silent.

Suddenly, the cat turned and meet glaring eyes at Dan. The Brit jumped back suddenly, then sprinted across the set room to the dorms, praying Michael didn't follow him.

Why was he running? Why did he want to hide? He was acting like a puppy scared of Michael, who had just taken a swipe of sharp claws at Dan being too close.

He scratched his eyebrow and laid down in the bed, not bothering to change his clothes. There was something wrong. There was a secret. The 'Perfect Hybrid' who was powerful beyond human and hybrid standards.

Dan curled up on his bed, right into a tight ball, but he didn't sleep. It felt so comfortable to lay like this, curled up defensively with his back to the wall. No one could stab him in the back if he stayed this way.

Even with the new comfort, his mind still raced about the black suits. About the Movement, about the secrets, and, above all, about Gavin. Even in his attempt to sleep, he was greeted with the tornado of questions swirling inside his mind. Where was Gavin? Was he okay? What was the Movement up to? What were they doing? How could they find Gavin? How did Burnie trust Gus so easily?

All night, he stared at the wall, images forming themselves on the white canvas, like dreams in his sleeplessness, borderline hallucinations that he could break from at any moment.

However, when the memories formed on the wall, as though they were being played from a filmstrip and a projector, he begged himself not to break the fragile sleep pieces and to live in the memories like the present didn't exist. 


	12. Stories (and Missing Tales)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We introduce a new person! Who's it gonna be? You may have guessed it.  
> On with the story!

He hated waking up in the room because he could never tell if it was day or night. He had an alarm clock but it only stated numbers, not the position of the sun. Sighing, he leaned up and stretched, uncurling from his comfortable form on the bed and deciding it was time to get up.

The wolf changed out of his clothes, having worn them the day before, and dressed in a usual graphic tee and jeans. He saunted out the door, running a hand through his hair, and made his way to the set room where he spotted Ryan hammering a nail into the wall to put up a poster.

There was nothing special about the poster. It was probably band merchandise and Dan paid no attention to it. “Mornin',” he drawled, his voice crackling oddly. He cleared his throat and shook his head, smiling out of embarrassment. “Mornin',” he tried again, his voice stronger this time.

“Morning,” the long-horned man returned, hooking the band poster onto the wall. “You sleep well?”

Dan tried to remember his sleep but he recalled no dreams or even blackness. Only the questions and memories projected onto the blank wall. “Yeah,” he said finally.

“Good.” He adjusted the poster so it sat evenly, then he turned his attention to the wolf. “Burnie wanted me to tell you to take the afternoon off. I heard you and Ray took a real beating from an ape Hybrid in New Jersey.” With the comment, he motioned to the bandages Dan was wearing on his face and arm.

“So, you heard about that, did ya?”

“Yeah, but Michael and Burnie are holding onto the details until later tonight. There's going to be a meeting. Since you were there, Burnie was kind of hoping you and Ray would watch the monitors tonight instead of attending the meeting. You up for it?”

Dan paused for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah, no problem.”

Before anything more could be discussed, there was a knock on the door. Ryan leaned down and picked up a pile of posters from the ground, all different colours and obviously for different things. “Could you get that? It's only you and me right now, and I wanna get these up before Geoff gets back.”

“Yeah.” He hurried down the set room to the main hall way. Since the doors were made of glass, he could see who was standing at the door; a young woman with pink hair and glasses. He unlocked the door and opened it, greeting her with a smile. “Hi,” was all he said.

She paused for a moment, then returned the smile. “Hi,” she said. She seemed to struggle for what to say for a moment. She shut her eyes and made several hand gestures before settling on an introduction. “My name is Meg. I'm looking for Gavin.”

He almost stopped breathing, his heart racing like a bucket of cold water had just been dumped on him. “I'm sorry?”

“Gavin Free? I was told that everyone came back from Britain just last week. Even Monty, so I thought Gavin came back, too.”

Dan stared at her for a long time, jaw slightly agape, and instantly his mind quit working. He rubbed his mouth and took two steps nowhere. “...I'm sorry, who're you again?”

Meg inhaled. “I'm Meg Turney, his girlfriend. Can I see him, please?”

“Uh... No.”

“Why not? Is he still in Britain?”

“No.”

“Is he here then?”

“No.”

“So, where is he?”

“Uh...” He shrugged. “Gone.”

“Gone? What do you mean he's gone?”

Finally, his mind kicked into gear and he realized he would have to explain everything to her. “Uh... Listen, love, I'm really sorry but... Uh... You wanna come inside and sit down maybe?”

“Where's Gavin?”

“Right. About that. We aren't...exactly sure.”

“What do you mean?”

Half an hour later, they were in the break room. Meg had her head in her hands and Dan was sitting on the couch adjacent to her. She wasn't crying – not yet, anyway – but she was most definitely distraught. “And he was just... gone, when you came back?”

Dan nodded. It had been a long time since he recalled the image of the messy apartment with the cups scattered on the floor, paintings knocked off the walls, broken vases, the blood stain on the ground. It still felt surreal and almost like a faraway memory. He had forgotten how far away from home he was, so transfixed on bringing Gavin back home, on only going forward.

And all this had only brought to light to the horrors he was so afraid of. One being that he never truly knew Gavin at all.

A girlfriend? How could it be possible for Dan not to know Gavin had a girlfriend? Of course, he intended to drill his best friend with questions when they finally rescued Gavin but it would all have to wait. For now, he had a girl to comfort – and this wasn't exactly his strong suit.

“But why didn't they tell you?” he asked quietly then.

She leaned back and ran her hands through her hair. Her eyes were moist and her mascara was beginning to run. Sighing, she tried to gather herself and prepare the explanation. “I've been in Japan for the last few weeks. I didn't come back until yesterday, so... I guess they were gonna wait until I got back to tell me.”

“Don't defend them,” was his gut reaction and he almost regretted it, but she seemed to have no reaction to his comment. She was motionless and silent, and so he pipped up again in the attempt of shining a little hope. “We've started a rescue team, I guess. We've gotten a lot of information and it'll only be a matter of time before we find him.”

Meg paused, then rubbed her eyes, shaking her head. “I'm sorry,” she said quietly, finally meeting his eyes. “Who're you?”

“Dan.”

She paused and looked away from him. For a moment, she was in thought, then she turned back. “Gruchy, right? Gavin's friend from Britain.”

The wolf's ears perked instantly, then folded back. "He told you about me.”

“Gavin used to talk about you all the time.” She smiled wryly, then rubbed her eyes and smeared her make-up on accident. “You're good to him.”

Dan hesitated, unsure what she meant by that, but he said nothing to it. He hadn't felt good about anything involving Gavin. He had been keeping an entire secret life from him without his knowledge. “I guess." A pause. "I was gonna walk around Austin, get a feel for the town, if you wanna come with me. There's a lot of questions I have that need answers.”

Meg sighed. For a moment, she looked as though she would decline – and Dan did not blame her. The last thing he wanted to do was move the night Gavin disappeared. “Okay.” He jolted as though he had been pinched, an answer he had not been expecting. “I have a few things to ask you, too.”

...

Meg fixed her make-up and Dan grabbed a toque with a green star on it. As Meg replaced her make-up, Dan let Ryan know he was leaving. “Fine, but you better bring back a pizza or something.”

“Yeah, mate,” was all he had to say as he waited for Meg in the front all.

They left the company and started for a walk down the street. It felt like he had done nothing but sit for the last few days and now that he was walking around, he could feel all the excess energy he wanted to expel. He would skip ahead a few steps then stop and wait for Meg to catch up.

She was less energetic and sort of distant, which was understandable to him. He felt bad for dragging her around town when she looked like she wanted to lay down and be sad for a while. She was strong, he'd give her that.

“So,” he said quietly when no one was around to hear him, pulling out his pack of cigarettes and carefully lighting one while shielding it from the wind. “Are you a hybrid, too?”

She flinched at the question, peeking around carefully while no one was looking, then nodded. He looked her over carefully, trying to determine her animal. She seemed to have no ears and she was well hidden, so it was difficult to tell. “He didn't tell you about me at all?”

Dan flinched and realized she was staring at him. It was then it dawned on him that what he was doing did not look like what he was doing. And what he was not doing was checking her out. “No, he didn't. He didn't tell me anything about Texas. I had no idea...” She pulled him into a small cafe. It was a little packed but there were a few spare tables. More importantly, there was a table in the corner. “You go take a seat over here. I'll get us drinks. What would you like?”

Five minutes later, he was joining her with a green tea for him and a mocha for her. “So, you had no idea.” She was picking up the conversation they had a moment ago. It seemed they were both interested in talking about very different things – but ladies first.

“Not a clue. Not until he was taken. Not until I asked Monty for help.”

“How did they find out about his wings? He's usually pretty careful.”

“Careful?” Dan barked a laugh through barely parted lips. “He's never been careful.” They both were never careful; Gavin in the hybrid sense, Dan in the human sense. He was always pulling stupid stunts for the camera, like lighting things on fire and blowing up various objects with bangers. Well, he was one to talk, he supposed, but now Gavin had been taken away.

Meg sighed and folded her arms, resting them on the table. Dan stole a sip of his tea. “He was always very careful around me. He even taught me how to properly bind so it didn't hurt.”

“Wings? What kind?”

“Macaw. Gavin was always interested in knowing the extent of Hybrids; what kind of animal they were, what it was they could do. He said you were the most interesting because you so wolf-like.”

Dan subconsciously rubbed his arm, thick with fur but tamed enough to keep attention away. “Macaw. That's a type o' bird in...Hawaii?”

“What? No! No Macaws live in Hawaii. Where did you get that idea?” Shaking her head, she took a sip of her mocha and sighed. “Gavin said I was probably a Scarlet Macaw. They're from South America.”

“Pretty,” was all he had to say.

“What about you? What are you?”

“A wolf.”

“Really? What kind of wolf?”

Dan blinked then averted his attention to his green tea. “Dunno. Gray wolf, I guess.”

A man walked by them at that moment and both ducked into silence. When he was without earshot, they relaxed and Meg leaned a little closer to the table. “Let's not talk about that here. We can discuss hybrids later. For now, can we talk about Gavin?”

He explained everything he knew; from Gavin's disappearance, to the deer girl Michael saved, to the trip to New Jersey and the Perfect Hybrid. Of course, this caught Meg's attention. “I've never heard of a Perfect Hybrid before. What is that supposed to be?”

“Not... entirely sure,” he replied hesitantly.

In exchange, she offered stories of Gavin's times in America. He had been to America a total of five times. She told him a story about how Gavin saved a monkey Hybrid from the black suit with the use of his wings. She told him that the hawk would take her out for dinner. She told him about the wrestling matches he and Michael would engage from time to time, how he would play video games with all the guys in the company and made bets he would never win.

She spoke as though he had always been there and that he never left. She also revealed that more often than not, she would go to Britain on jobs and visit Gavin, and he would accompany her on her missions. He wondered if maybe they had met before and just didn't remember. But he would've remembered if he met Gavin's girlfriend, right? She knew about the videos they took and she watched some of them. She spoke so deeply, as though she was somewhere else.

And Dan listened carefully, hanging off her every word, so intrigued by what she had to say, he almost forgot he was supposed to be back at the company to watch the monitors during the meeting.


	13. Lies (and the Faithless)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Double plot twist! Hope that doesn't reveal too much... Also, super sorry for the long wait! I had so many interviews, and I got the flu (which turned into a lung infection) and I had to help clean the house and we got a new kitten, and so much is happening! But none of that matters now...because here's the new chapter (of the story no one is reading)!  
> On with the story!

“Guys Night! ...Oh. Uh... Guys and Girls Night! Yay!”

Dan asked Ray if it would be alright for Meg to join them that night. She had already insisted on helping the rescue team, and since Dan had told her everything about the New Jersey mission, she didn't need to attend the meeting.

“Yeah, whatever. The more, the merrier, am I right? I grabbed a bunch of snacks and stuff. Apparently, we'll get a call from Gus if anything is going on in the area, but just in case something slips passed him, we got the cameras on roll.”

Ray had brought chips and some cinnamon buns. Dan had brought a pizza back per Ryan's request but he wasn't around to eat it. Meg bought a two liter soda and some candy. Needless to say, they had more than enough to eat and drink for the night. “We won't eat all this, will we?”

“Everyone's going home after this. We're probably gonna go on night watch, too.”

“Lovely.”

They each took a seat and sat around the monitor with all the cameras, eating pizza and talking. “Did you hear about Microsoft buying Minecraft?”

“Yeah, I know. I'm... I'm not certain how to feel about it, to be honest. I don't really play a lot of Minecraft.”

“They said that they don't want to do much other than move it forward. Maybe this'll be a good opportunity for the game.”

“Maybe. I don't really care. I reckon not much'll change anyway.”

As the clock rolled on, they could hear the meeting end and each of the members left with their own worries and levels of exhaustion. Michael peered in to spot Ray jumping onto Dan's lap and making a joke about wolves and rabbits. A half-hearted, smirking snarl and a loud laugh later, Ray was on the floor and the small group was in a bout of laughter.

The cat's ears folded back and he stepped back, eyes cast to the ground between his feet. He was still, momentarily, then he turned away from the door. Lindsay sighed and patted him on the shoulder. He scratched the back of his head. “Is it bad I sometimes wish he was Gavin instead?”

Lindsay sighed. “Let's go home.”

...

“Dude, I need to take a piss. I'll be back in a bit, kay?”

It had reached long into the night and it would only be a matter of hours before the sun would rise. Since then, they had fallen quiet and sleepy and it took all that they could to stay awake. They tried board games and horror movies but no matter how riled or terrified they were, they still were tempted by the dark song of sleep.

Dan rested his head on the desk, staring at the monitors of the completely empty streets. “So boring...”

By this time, Meg had discarded her day clothes for more comfortable attire; ones that adapted to her extra appendages. She leaned back against the chair, kicking her feet up onto the desk, and yawned. “I know. I should've gone home instead...”

The wolf watched the rabbit leave the room, hurrying to his destination of the bathroom. He sighed and his eyes fell onto the files computer, which held the documents of the various Hybrids accounted by the company. He still didn't understand what it meant that a hybrid's license plate had been doubled. Maybe the black suits didn't realize the guy was a Hybrid. Maybe it didn't matter. Maybe their files were wrong.

Then his ears perked.

Files.

He stood suddenly, startling Meg and she fell out of her chair. “God, Dan! You gave me a heart attack. Don't do that.” Without responding, the man rushed to the computer and booted it up. He listened for any indication Ray was returning, then returned his attention to the screen when it lit up. “Dan?”

A typing box and the SEARCH button appeared then, exactly as it did before. Into it, he typed, “Dan Gruchy”.

He was prompted for a password.

The macaw peered over his shoulder, staring at the screen curiously. “What are you doing?”

“Wait here. I got something we can do.”

He rushed out into the set room, dashing to the couch and running passed behind the curtain, into the hidden door in the back. He ran passed the boxes and crates stacked on each other and he pried open the trapdoor, pulling out the files from underneath. He stuck them under his arm and hurried back to the work room where Meg was waiting. “Dan, what on Earth--”

Grinning, he turned and looked her dead in the eye. “Wanna look at something classified with me?” Meg's eyes lit up and she grinned at the idea.

He opened the files and quickly read over the codes until his eyes was met with his own name.

_Daniel Gruchy_   
_C01H10A11R00L10E01S_

Quickly, he typed the combination of letters and numbers into the password prompt and hit the enter button. The computer hummed and buzzed before opening a file.

“This is kind of exciting. Is my name on that list?”

Dan handed her the list to look over while he quickly read over his own profile. It was nothing he didn't really know before. There were a list of missions at the bottom of his page. There were two listed, but he could only recall the one; _The New Jersey Job_. “Cool, you can look over the details of the mission. I bet it says I got my ass handed to me.” He chuckled, quickly glancing at the second mission ( _The Secret Hybrid Mission_ ). “Those would be wonderful de--” And he stopped. “What the...?”

“Oh, I am on here! Let's look me up next. And Gavin, too!” She turned back to the screen and threw the files on the desk in front of him. “Dan?”

Quietly, he bit his lip then peered down at the paper again. Closing out his file, he opened another and typed Gavin's name into the Search bar. When he was prompted for the password, he typed the appropriate code and the file came up.

Slowly, he searched through the file. While the information was correct, it wasn't what interested Dan. He scrolled passed the many, many missions Gavin had participated in (and it nauseated Dan to see just how many Gavin had partaken in without his knowledge) until he came across the most recent one. It had been given a start date, but not an end one.

Lowering his head and sighing, he dared himself to open the file.

And he did.

 _The_ _Intelligence Mission_.

“Yo, I'm back. I almost fell asleep washing my hands. That's how tired I am.” Ray stopped dead in his tracks and Meg backed up, peering at the suddenly silent wolf. “Hey... What are you doing?”

He ignored the rabbit and read over the mission details with Meg watching carefully over his shoulder. With every word, his eyes widened and a horrible shiver tore down his spine. Ray's eyes fell between the folder and the computer and he found his voice. “Uh, Dan? Where did you find that?”

Within minutes, his ears fell back and his chin dropped his chest. Meg leaned back, her hand over her mouth and she looked at Ray. “Did you... Did you know about this?”

Ray hesitated and shrugged. “I, I don't know what you're talking about.”

Suddenly, the wolf slammed a fist into the desk, standing and turning to the rabbit. “What the hell is this!?” he snapped, storming up to the rabbit and grabbing him by the collar. “What is this!? What did you do!?”

“Oh, my God! I had nothing to do with it! I swear! It, it was...! Wait, what are we yelling about!?”

Dan snarled, baring his fangs threateningly. He was trembling, caught somewhere between anger and sorrow. “Gavin's file,” he seethed through clenched teeth. “I'm talking about the Intelligence Mission.”

At the words, Ray's ears dropped back and he seemed to lose all his energy. His hands dropped to his sides and, slowly, Dan let him go. “Oh, yeah... Heh, that's a funny story, actually.”

Dan started again and Ray flinched, but it was Meg to defuse the situation. “Dan, stop it.”

The wolf lowered his arms and stepped back, staring hard at Ray who refused to meet his eyes. Dan backed away, returning to his seat in front of the computer, reading the details of the mission over and over as Ray searched for his voice. 

_The Intelligence Mission  
_ _Objective: To successfully infiltrate British Suppression Base with video and audio capture.  
_ _Members Involved: Gavin Free, Burnie Burns, Michael Jones, Ray Narvaez Jr., Geoff Ramsey, Ryan Haywood, Jack Pattillo, Lindsay Tuggey_

“It was Gavin's idea,” Ray said suddenly, quietly sauntering to his chair and sitting gently. “No one thought it was all that great, but we were running out of options. We hit a wall. No matter how many Hybrids we saved, ID we gathered, license plates we stole, they were always one step ahead of us. We couldn't locate bases. We couldn't even identify the bastards we managed to capture. They took the easy way out before we could buckle down and swallow our cowardice. Man, even Michael was getting violent with them and, at times, we didn't even think to stop him. Then, he took it too far. Hell, I don't blame him.”

Dan slowly turned away from the computer to face the rabbit, who's eyes were cast at the ground.

“Still didn't stop Michael from being upset about it, though. None of us are really ready for war. It didn't really dawn on us just how innocent we were until Michael killed a guy and almost lost his mind over it. It was a few days after the incident that Gavin realized what he had to do.

“He ran the idea by me first, and I thought he was joking... but I knew he wasn't. I told him not to do it, that it wasn't worth it, but he wouldn't listen. So he talked to Burnie and Geoff and everyone. He was convinced it was the only way to move forward and, at the time, so were we. We knew it was risky but, God, none of us--... Who am I kidding? We all knew that it would turn out this way.”

Ray inhaled and ran his hands through his hair, pulling at his ears gently and exhaling a meditated breath, though it didn't relax him. “We all flew to Britain, because that was where Gavin wanted to start the mission. Lindsay, Ryan, and I were in charge of the equipment itself, so we set up the computers and the wireless equipment. We tested it thoroughly and when we were convinced it would hold up, we taped the microphone, the tracker, and the camera to him.

“Michael and Burnie were in charge of communicating with Gavin. Geoff and Jack were in charge of maintaining the equipment and making sure it would keep working and fix anything that went wrong. Gavin went to his apartment, and I tipped off the police about him. Gavin begged us to wait until after you left for your morning run so you didn't get caught in the fray, so we waited until just before you left to call.”

Ray stopped talking and Dan shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Meg hadn't moved an inch, listening so carefully to the whispered story. For a moment, they sat in silence and Ray sighed, rubbing one of his eyes. The wolf didn't pressure the story; he knew Ray would continue when he was ready.

“The guys came and took him away. I was right around the corner and I could hear them yelling at the old woman to get in her house.” He shook his head and inhaled. “I went back to confirm the plan was going smoothly and we began the second part of the operation. Except...”

“Except they found the equipment and destroyed it.”

Ray looked up to meet Dan's eyes, then he nodded. “They found the camera and tracker first, and they didn't find the microphone until a few days later. We only found out that they were going to move Gavin to the American base and...that was it. The mission was a failure. We lost Gavin.”

Silence rang painfully through the room. Ray's eyes fell again to the concrete floor. Meg hiccuped but held herself together. Dan swallowed hard and rubbed his face, the motion slowly turning to run a hand through his hair.

“Gavin didn't want you to get involved, but... We didn't tell Monty, because we knew he would have disagreed, but... When you ran to tell him, he wanted you to meet us. And that was it.” Ray clenched his teeth and he folded cloth on his thigh in a fist. “You were thrown into the fray, thinking you were off to be some valiant white knight, a catalyst to bringing down what's threatened hybrids for years. Like you believed you could actually _save_ Gavin. It was like you already knew about--” And he stopped.

The venom in his voice brought Dan to his feet like lightning. Ray flinched and met the wolf's eyes, leaning back in shock, almost regretful of his words. “Like I already knew about what!?” Dan snapped, fangs bared viciously. “Like I already knew about that Perfect Hybrid crap?”

Ray stood then and Meg jumped up just as quickly. “You know?”

“It's on my bloody profile, Ray! ' _The Secret Hybrid Mission_ '!? What kind of secret is that!? You keep those kind of secrets from everyone? Who else knows? Burnie? Geoff? Michael!?” He hesitated, swallowing hard. “Does Gavin know?” Ray didn't respond. “God, Ray... My God.”

Meg shifted her weight, daring herself to meet Dan's eyes. “What is it? Dan?”

He didn't answer her. Instead, he stood. He placed a hand on the desk and bit his lip. Ray was right. He really did think he could end this all. He truly thought he could save Gavin. That he could bring down the black suits and finally destroy what had haunted him for decades.

But he couldn't.

“I'm sorry,” he said quietly. He turned to the door and opened it slowly, exiting the room.

Meg stole a final glance at Ray then hurried after Dan, leaving the rabbit in his loneliness. He ran fists through his hair one last time, then he grabbed Dan's chair and tossed it across the room in a fit of rage. “ _Fuck_!” He stood stiffly for a moment, then whipped his phone out of his pocket, quickly dialing a number he knew by heart. He hesitated before hitting the call button, and held it to his ear. It rang once, twice, thrice. “Hey, Michael? ... Yeah, I know it's late. Listen, we need to talk. I'm serious. It's bad.”

And on the computer monitor, the file on Dan's profile remained open. 

_The Secret Hybrid Mission  
_ _Objective: To keep a careful watch over target, Daniel Gruchy, the first naturally occurring Perfect Hybrid._


	14. The Beginning (and the End)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa, what's going on? Read this chapter to find out!  
> On with the story!

The street was empty. The lamps lit a yellow path on the black roads. Dan rested his head against the window, staring out onto the sidewalk as they drove down Westmount towards Greenway. There were still metal pieces from the blue sedan Michael had drove into the black suit's hatchback.

Quietly, he gripped his jeans and Meg glanced over from her concentrated stare on the road. They hadn't spoken a word since they left the company building, but there was nothing that needed to be said. It was obvious what they were thinking. Dan was only glad that he wasn't alone.

Though, for how long would that be?

They drove on for many minutes, until Meg pulled into a parking garage and drove up to the third floor. He shut his eyes briefly and lowered his head. The car stopped and the engine died. “C'mon,” she whispered, and he followed.

Fifteen minutes later, he was sitting in her apartment with a glass of water between his hands. She sat in the couch adjacent to the sofa he had taken seat and he had a motion of deja vu. “Dan?” He swirled the cup in his hands, watching the water sway and shift in a beat, then he looked up to meet her eyes. “What are you planning to do?”

He sighed, his ears folding back. They hadn't even bothered to hide themselves for the trip home, but it didn't matter. If anyone saw him at this point, he wouldn't care. But he forced himself to.

Because he was scared.

He had always been scared.

That didn't change. Not when he flew to America. Not when Gavin disappeared. Not even after he fought off the black suits in New Jersey. He was scared, and not just for himself. It had never been just for himself.

“I don't know,” he replied honestly. “I really don't.”

A few minutes passed and Dan hadn't even taken a sip yet of his water. While he remained still and questioned his existence, Meg turned on the news and let it play while she cleaned her apartment restlessly.

“ _...police are investigating, but no evidence has been found. Witnesses report several men in black suits arriving to the man's last known location and leaving only moments later with an unidentified black bag. Police are suspecting foul play and will look further into case. Until then, they request no other information be disclosed on public airways. ... A little girl has made a strong impact on her peers after raising awareness for the homeless..._ ”

Dan set his water on the table beside him and tried to listen to the pleasant news, but his mind continued to wander back to the unnerving topic of Gavin's mission and the Perfect Hybrids. His eyes cast down and he opened his hands, staring at his palms that had been hardened from his years of executing stunts for slow motion cinematography. Of grazing against bark as he prepared to jump into a shallow pool from a tree branch five meters above it.

“C'mon, Dan. Don't be such a baby. It's not _that_ high up.”

“Yeah, maybe to you!” He adjusted his feet on the branch and rubbed his face, staring wide-eyed into the cold, sun-reflected water. “Bloody hell...”

“Jump, Dan! Make a good wave for the camera.”

“Oh, shit... Okay!” And with that, he leapt off the tree and tucked his legs in close underneath him. The water caught him and softened his fall, his weight tossing a large wave in Gavin's direction. The hawk squealed and tried to use his body as a shield for the camera without getting into the shot, even extending a wing to catch the water before it hit the lens.

With a uproarious laugh, Gavin hit the button the second Dan surfaced from the pool. “Was it good!? Did you get it?”

“Yeah! Yeah, I got it!”

And even now, thinking back to those simpler times, Dan hadn't really been all that high up in the tree. It wasn't truly all that dangerous in comparison to the bullshit Gavin tried against the black suits. What Dan could do when pulled up beside what Gavin had already done, there was no question. Gavin had more courage, more heart, more _stupidity_ than Dan could ever imagine.

He didn't know Gavin. He was fighting to protect the image of the innocent, defenseless, brainy-but-idiotic Gavin he grew up with. He thought that boy needed to be protected, he needed to be saved.

But he was wrong.

He was wrong about everything. He was wrong about Gavin, he was wrong about himself. He was wrong to think no one would ever stand against the black suits and he was wrong to think he could save Gavin.

And he was wrong to think that he would never have the courage to stand up to what he feared for so long.

“Meg,” he whispered.

She stopped where she was and slowly turned to him, pushing back red strands of her hair. “What is it?”

Slowly, he looked up to stare at her without looking. “I know what I have to do.”

... 

“They'll look for us at my apartment, but here...” She pressed a hand against the door, under the number 472 in gold-painted metal. “They won't look for us here.” She pushed the door open and revealed a small, modest hotel room. There was only one bed, but that didn't matter. He wouldn't be here for very long.

Dan lugged the suitcase into the room and threw it on the bed. The macaw pulled in her own baggage and set it down gently on the floor, opening it to reveal a laptop. Dan shut and locked the door while she set the laptop open on a spare desk and powered it up.

They worked silently, typing or piecing together various forms of technology that Meg had stored in her room for emergency purposes. Slowly, Dan put together a microphone, a camera, and a tracker. Meg was in charge of syncing the software while he disappeared into the kitchen in search of food. While he came up empty, she had finished syncing the hardware.

It was two hours after their arrival to the hotel that they had finished piecing together and testing the equipment. It took longer than they expected – with various software issues and script rewriting, updating drivers and searching for missing wires – but they finished almost instantly when everything had been set up properly.

“Gavin's mission wasn't successful,” Meg whispered then as Dan removed his shirt and picked up the microphone. “What makes you think you'll be any luckier? What about Gus? Won't he be able to locate the bases for us?”

Dan hesitated, then he turned to Meg. “He can locate bases, but not Gavin. Besides, I got something Gavin didn't.” He ran a hand down his chest, gently patting down the little bits of fur on his torso. “Natural camouflage.”

And, all too suddenly, there was a knock at the door.

They froze and exchanged uncertain glances. The knocker knocked again and Meg quietly shifted, approaching the door hesitantly. Slowly, she turned the knob and slid the door open. Upon meeting eyes with the knocker, she paused. Then, she opened the door fully and Dan could see the silhouette of Michael Jones.

“It was that obvious, was it?” she asked quietly. Dan expected a snapped reply, but the cat only sighed and he stepped inside the hotel room; Meg moved aside so he could enter. The wolf tossed her a confused glance and she inhaled deeply. “This is where I met Gavin.”

Michael pulled off his toque and his ears were folded back, almost hidden under curls. “It wasn't supposed to be this way,” he said, refusing to turn to face them. “I know Ray told you everything. About what Gavin did. About...what _I_ did. And, I'm sorry.” He inhaled and stared at the window. The sun was about to rise, but it hadn't yet. The sky was just barely lightening from a midnight blue to dark yellow. “I'm going to skip the heartfelt confessions and get straight to the point. I know what you're going to do.” Dan opened his mouth to speak, but he was interrupted before he could begin. “I won't try to stop you. I've considered doing the same thing, but I...” His voice wavered. “I have a different plan.”

Finally, he turned and folded his arms, his brow furrowing. “Lindsay and I have been working on a plan for weeks. We've been trying to perfect it, but it's not the type of plan that can be perfect. It might fail. It might succeed. We don't know. What we do know is that it might change something, if we're loud enough. It might be the kick in the ass we need to get our objective in gear. We've been wanting the government's attention? This might be the only way.

“We-... Rooster Teeth has been trying to avoid this for years, but I'm beginning to think we should pull all the stops and give it all we fucking got. It's risky, but it might work. Burnie, Geoff... Those older guys couldn't do it. But if Gavin thinks we can, then... Eh, what the fuck? It might even be fun.” Michael cracked a smirk, smiling to himself for a moment. “Gavin would have loved for us to meet. He'd talk about it all the time. Maybe, in a different life, under different circumstances, we could have been better friends.” He approached Dan and bared his teeth. “So, you better come to my fucking wedding, ya hear me? Or I'll never forgive you.”

For a moment, everything was still. Then, the cat loosened up and Dan smirked. “Yeah, yeah. I got it. I'll be there. I promise.”

Michael smirked and punched Dan lightly in the shoulder. “I'm holding it to ya. And the same goes for you, Meg. You'll be going with Gavin.” Meg nodded. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Michael started towards the door, grabbing the handle and stopping in the doorway. He inhaled, then paused. “Ray says hi.” And he shut the door behind him.

For a moment, Meg and Dan stayed in silence. He looked down to his chest and he placed the microphone against his chest. “You can barely see it.” Meg laughed a little.

... 

The sun was just barely rising. The wind was colder and harsher up on the roof, but he couldn't think of any place else he would rather be; high over Austin, watching the city wake with the morning sun. Since when was the sun's waking so cold?

A flurry of footsteps stormed up the stairs and Meg could hear them pass from her hotel room. “They're coming,” she whispered into his earpiece and Dan said nothing.

This was it. The moment he spent his whole life fearing, like he had known it would someday come. But he never would have expected he'd done it willingly. He never expected to be as calm as he was. He never expected that this would be his way forward to a better future.

Now, he stood before all the people with his ears and his tail no longer hidden. He was open now. This would be his first or last moments of real freedom. Without restrictions. Without fear.

The roof door burst down behind him and he turned to face them. He smiled sheepishly, his fangs obvious to them. “I wish I had something cool to say, but I...don't.”

And within moments, they grabbed his arms and threw a black bag over his head, obstructing his sight and his hearing. They dragged him across the roof and forced him down the endless flight of stairs. He stumbled and they hauled him over concrete, throwing him roughly onto a carpeted ground. Men yelled. Van doors shut.

Then, everything was silent. 


	15. Lost (and Found)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are incredibly close to the end, now. Thank you for waiting so paitently for the new chapter.  
> On with the story!

Dan woke from the broken mix of bizarre dreams and distant memories. His body was heavy and he tried to will himself back to sleep, but the whispers of a faraway voice drew him back to reality. Unwillingly, he followed the voices until a white light burned his eyes and he groaned.

He turned onto his side, barely able to lift his arm in doing so. Even as he moved, the light still pierced the darkness he tried hard to achieve and he was forced to accept defeat. Slowly, his eyes cracked open and he growled to himself.

“Wakey, wakey,” said the voice. Dan rolled onto his back again and he opened his eyes to the blurred outline of a man with two round half-circles sticking out of the top of his head. “Hey, now. Take it easy. Waking up's the hard part. Toilet's over there.”

Dan cocked an eyebrow, pondering the significance of the toilet when his head and stomach spun and he scrambled in the direction of the pointed finger. The stranger waited until Dan could breath again, wiping his face to clean the remnants of stomach acid, pizza, and cinnamon bun around his mouth. “Holy shit...”

The stranger scoffed a chuckle. “Yeah, that's most people's first words when they wake up. It'll pass, though.”

Dan hung over the toilet bowl for a few moments, allowing himself to return to his senses in his own time. The stranger was patient, patting him awkwardly on the back several times. Finally, when he was certain he could move without getting sick, he pushed himself into his knees and leaned back. He looked back down when a glass was pressed against his fingers and he gingerly grasped it, peering down into a liquid surface.

Water.

He washed out his mouth and spat back into the toilet several times before finally drinking the rest of the glass. It wasn't long after that his body began to react normally, and he was only groggy now. He found the strength to turn and face the man who helped him.

The man was a blond with two mouse ears perking up out of his head, a tag hanging almost like an earring from one of his ears. A mouse Hybrid? “Who're you?” Dan croaked as the mouse felt his forehead and hummed, concern.

“Kerry,” he replied, then felt his own forehead with his free hand. “You've got a bit of a fever, but I'm sure you'll be fine. It's a side effect of the thing.”

Dan blinked. “I'm sorry?”

“The, uh, drug, sort of.” Kerry struggled with the term in his head for a moment before giving up and giving the wolf his full attention. “Who're you?”

“I'm Daniel. Uh... My friends just call me Dan.”

Kerry offered a lopsided grin. “Dan, huh?”

For a moment, the wolf took in his surroundings. They were in a cell. It was well-lit, with two bunk beds on either side though there was only him and Kerry in the cell. All the walls were made of white brick except for what separated them from the hall, which was just metal bars from floor to ceiling. The ground and ceiling was made of smooth concrete and a single light hung from the ceiling.

“Where am I?”

Kerry adjusted himself, sitting crosslegged on the floor beside Dan, who mimicked him. “This might be hard for you to digest, but this is – uh, how do I put it? Well, it's not a good place. You know the Hybrids that are caught by those guys, right? When Hybrids disappear, this is where they go. Congrats, you've been captured by the bad guys.”

“Captured by the...?” He stood and walked to the bars. There was a hall and across he hall was another cell where an alligator Hybrid and a bear Hybrid were sitting on the floor, talking, and a dog Hybrid was laying on his stomach, staring off into space. “God... I'm here...” He gripped the bars and pulled once, gently, and they refused to budge.

For a moment, panic set in and Dan looked up, his ears folding back as he pulled on the bars harder and harder as he tried to remembered the last few hours of his time outside. He was with Meg and Ray. And then he looked at the files on the computer...

“Dan? Dan, can you hear me?”

The wolf flinched and he looked around in search of the voice. Then, like a brick wall, everything came back to him. The earpiece. “Meg, is that you?”

“Sh. Where are you?”

“I... I'm--”

“I can't hear you.”

Dan spun around and meet eyes with a genuinely confused Kerry. “Not you, I'm not talking to you.” Then he turned back and faced the hall again, peering up and down in search of any guards. “I'm inside. I don't bloody believe it.”

Meg sighed. “I didn't hear anything while you were unconscious, so they probably haven't given you a physical yet.”

“That's when Gavin lost the mic, innit?”

“Yeah.” She was silent for a moment. “But I have a lock on your location. Looks like your natural camouflage worked after all. I've sent the coordinates to Burnie, so, congrats. The mission was a success. You just have to hang on until we figure out a plan.”

Dan shook his head and ran a hand through his hair. “Meg,” he whispered. “This is only one base, in all of America. There's still a thousand more out there.” There was no reply. “How about Michael and Lindsay?”

“They left for Washington. They didn't say anything before they left.”

“Dammit...”

“Hey! Hello? Who are you talking to?”

Dan turned to face Kerry, who was now a lot closer than before. The wolf's ears folded back and he shifted his eyes nervously. “Uh, how much of that did you hear?”

“Who's Michael and Lindsay?”

“Right...”

“Dan, who's that talking?”

“Ah, bloody hell, would you both shut up for a minute!?” There was silence from both Kerry and Meg as he rubbed his head and tried to sort his thoughts into two categories; what to tell Kerry and what to tell Meg. “Okay, Kerry, you need to listen for a moment. I wasn't captured. I willingly... let them take me.” Kerry raised an eyebrow, and Dan pointed to his ear. “I'm on a mission.”

The mouse paused and his jaw dropped. “You... We're going to be saved?”

Dan hesitated, mulling it over in his head. “Uh, eventually. I hope.”

“Uh, don't get his hopes up...”

“Miles! Miles!”

 The dog Hybrid in the other cell jumped and whipped around to look at Kerry, innocent shock etched on his face. “What? What is it?”

 “Someone's coming to save us. He's a spy!”

“Shush, shh, shh!” Dan covered Kerry's mouth and pulled him away from the cell door. Miles was already up and running over to the cell door. “You can't just tell everyone. If the guards find out, they might--” And he stopped, allowing the fear to shudder down his spine before he swallowed and bottled it up. “We can't have everyone know. You and,” He looked over at Miles. “your friend,” He turned back. “need to keep this absolutely top secret. You understand? You're spies now, too, yeah? Great, now we're all apart of the operation. Your mission now is to stay alive. Can you do that?”

Kerry made a face. He hadn't realized how patronizing he had sounded, but the mouse faked some form of excitement and clapped his hands. “Yeah, we get to be spies, too! Just like I wanted to when I was a kid. This is great. Ya hear that Miles? We're spies now!”

Miles clapped with him excitedly and Dan rolled his eyes. “This is going to be interesting...”

“Oh. Oh, no.” Kerry pressed his face against the bars and peered down the hall. “We got Pig comin'.”

Dan frowned a bit. “What, like a cop?”

“No, idiot. A guard.”

“Don't call me an idiot; I just bloody got here.”

Kerry backed away from the cell door just as the guard walked around. Low and behold, the guard was actually a pig Hybrid. He turned and peered into the cell, looking Dan up and down. “So you're awake, huh?” He snorted. “Come with me.”

A bull Hybrid and a Human appeared behind him. Dan considered resisting, but his eyes fell to their belts and the gadgets that hung from them. “Fine,” he sighed. The pig pulled out his keys and unlocked the cell door. Dan glanced back at Kerry unevenly, who didn't seem particularly worried. “I'll be back.”

Kerry frowned and folded his arms. “They all say that.”

The wolf pulled back one ear nervously. The bull grabbed Dan's arm and yanked him out of the cell, pushing him forward. “Watch yourself, yeah? That hurts.” The only given response was another shove in the back and Dan growled, though he was silenced quickly by the threat of a baton and he decided it would be best to lay low until Burnie could send the reinforcements.

He moved along quietly, escorted by the three guards down the hall. It seemed to go on forever. Several Hybrids filled every cage, endless in it's holding. He peered into every cell and thought he recognized a face or two, perhaps people from his childhood, but no names he could place.

And, above all, no Gavin.

Finally, they reached the end of the hall and the Human opened the door, revealing a long corridor. “Go on, mutt,” he snapped and Dan focused his gaze into the door at the end of the hall to hide his annoyance. Even so, he was quite focused on the smell it gave off; it was odd, like a mixture of cleaner and alcohol – but most definitely not. He had smelled enough bevs in his life to know what their scent and, while this was close, it wasn't close enough.

The pig pushed him forward and Dan grunted, staggering down the hall. His eyes wandered to take in the small details of the corridor; most of the walls and windows were in disrepair. This place must had been abandoned, until the black suits took over. They clearly weren't making enough money to repair the broken windows and peeling walls. That, or they didn't want to bother wasting the money on it.

They stopped at the third door on the right and the guards ushered him into the room. It was a medium-sized room with a large computer and two other doors leading out to somewhere else. The windows had been covered to prevent wandering eyes from seeing inside. Beside the door he entered was a large array of small, shoe-sized boxes.

The guards took him to the table in the centre of the room and the Human grabbed his shoulder, pulling him down and forcing him to sit in the chair. “Don't ya have any manners!?” The Human reached for his belt and Dan rolled his eyes. “Oh, bugger off, mate.”

“That's enough.” A man entered the room, holding a clipboard in his arm. “You two go back to work. This'll be over quickly.”

“Dan...” whispered a voice in his ear but he didn't acknowledge it.

The two Hybrids left and the Human drew his baton anyway. Dan took a deep breath and focused on the man with the clipboard, dressed like some sort of scientist. “Good afternoon. Don't mind me. Put the thing away.” The Human adjusted his weight, but did nothing. The man didn't seem to care and he wandered to the boxes, pulling out one from the bottom row. “This will be quick, if you co-operate.”

Dan's ears instantly perked and he watched with intensity as the man moved across the room and placed the box on the table, opening it to reveal two needles and a tag similar to the one pinned on Kerry's ear. The wolf tried to stand, but the guard behind him placed his hands on his shoulders and forced him back down again. “What're you doing?”

The man assembled one of the needles and moved up to Dan's side. The wolf flinched and folded his ears back. “It's just a blood sample. Relax.”

He would have fought against him, but he was without options. He folded his fingers into fists and could only make himself still as the scientist injected the needle into his veins and drew a veil of blood. When the veil was full, the needle was pulled away and the man returned to the box to assemble the second needle.

The second needle was different from the first and Dan had a good idea what this was about. Taking the tag and the second needle, the scientist approached the wolf. He inserted the tag into the needle and nodded to the guard behind Dan. The guard grabbed a strong hold on the captive's shoulders.

“This'll sting a bit,” said the scientist, and without missing a beat, he pressed the needle against his ear and pulled a trigger. A sharp pain clipped through his ear and Dan yelped, jumping suddenly and the guard held him down. “Alright, he's good. I'll see him again in a few hours.”

The guard dragged Dan to his feet and shoved him in the direction of the door. Gingerly, he felt his ear where the pain had been and his fingers brushed against the tag. A strange sensation ran down his spine. There was nothing right about being tagged.

When the door was shut behind him, the guard whacked him upside the head with the baton. Dan stumbled forward and spun around to catch his balance. “What the fuck?! You're a damn psycho.”

“You're an idiot. Turn around, would ya?” Grumbling, Dan complied and forced himself to meet eyes with the captor. He squinted, trying to understand what he was supposed to be looking at. “Do you not recognize me!? Seriously.”

The guard pulled off the hat and Dan rested back one ear. “...Am I supposed to know you?”

“Are you fucking kidding me!? It's me!”

Dan squinted a little harder, then gasped with realization. “No bloody way! Gus, is that you?”

“About fucking time, moron!”

“What the hell!? What's with the baton and the whacking and the jackass-iness!?”

Gus rolled his eyes and smacked Dan with the baton again. “If I don't act like a hardass, they might suspect something.”

They both looked up and down the hall to make sure no one could see them, then Dan turned back to the guard. “What are you doing here?”

“What are _you_ doing here!? Did you guys get found out?”

“No, it's... complicated.”

“Dan?" Meg's voice was in his ear so suddenly, and he cursed himself for forgetting about her a third time. "What's going on?”

“Uh... Damn! This has got to stop being a thing... Oh! Gus.” He offered over the ear piece to Gus and reached underneath his shirt to grasp a hold of the microphone. “Meg's on the other line. She'll fill ya in on everything.”

Gus placed in the earpiece and folded the microphone away into his pocket. In that moment, the bull Hybrid burst into the door and huffed at the two of them. Gus replaced his hat then looked at Dan. “I said move!” And he smacked Dan with the baton again. The bull snorted then continued down the hall towards the other side.

Dan huffed and glared at Gus, who snickered.


	16. The Beaten (and the Damned)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: This chapter gets pretty freaking heavy towards the end, so brace yourself.  
> If you can handle it, then on with the story.

They had timed it perfectly, and it was beneficial. There would be no waiting for the sun to rise. It was well into the afternoon when they arrived in Washington. “You can just turn left here, and then take the next right. I think that'll be faster.” It was uncharacteristic of her voice to be so calm, but he could hardly find his own.

“I hope so.”

The sun glared off his rear view mirror and he flicked the tab on the bottom to redirect the light to the backseat. Somewhere deep in his chest, there was a part of him that wanted to give up and run faraway from here. To take her and find a priest to marry them in hiding. They could live on a peaceful mountainside by a lake healthy with fish and fresh water, to build a home for them by scratch and have kids, to raise them in a peaceful environment where they would never have to live in the horrific fear of being taken away to a place unknown.

And yet, when he dared a glance at her face in the slow traffic, the thoughts vanished and were replaced by the idea of rugrats running about in the apartment, of coffee in the cafe with Gavin and video games in the backroom with Ray, and Geoff, and Jack, and Ryan, and Dan, and late, peaceful nights cuddled up in bed with Lindsay.

If they succeeded, there would be no fear. There would be no hiding. Judgement and discrimination, perhaps – he was realistic, after all – but he would keep all he had. He had fought so long for this. Why would he surrender it all now?

“Hey, pay attention. You're gonna pass it.”

“Oh, shit.” He pulled the car into a parking spot across the street and stopped the car, pushing the stick into park. He stopped and inhaled, gripping the steering wheel tightly in an attempt to gather his thoughts and his nerves. He exhaled through clenched teeth and tapped his nails against the wheel.

“Michael?”

He turned to her and forced himself to relax. “What is it, Linds?”

She hesitated for a moment and stared at him as though it would be the last time they would see each other. And, truthfully, it could have been. “I love you.”

A moment of silence passed each other and, for a moment, the anxiety vanished. “I love you, too.”

They exited the vehicle and peered out across the street where the White House stood. “Do you think this'll work?” she asked.

He shrugged and looked both ways down the road. A blue sedan parked on the side of the road just down the street, but there was nothing else. “There's only one way to find out.”

They crossed the street and approached the gate. “I doubt we can just enter.”

He looked around. “That's fine. Out here is fine.” Wearily, his eyes cast to the ground. He didn't want to do this. He really didn't want to do this. And above all, he didn't want _her_ to do this. So why was she with him? Why did he let her come along?

“This isn't for us,” she said quietly, as though she could read his mind.

“This isn't for us.” Quietly, he reached up and pulled the beanie off his head, revealing the ears upon his head. Gently, he unwrapped his tail from around his waist and exhaled nervously, shutting his eyes tight. “This isn't for us,” he whispered again. Yet, he was doing it for them. Because they were going to get married.

They were going to have a life together, and he would stop at nothing to achieve it.

Quietly, she took his hand in hers and squeezed tightly. He squeezed back, sucking in a breath, and yelled, “Hey, fuckers! Get off your asses and do something about the disappearing Hybrids!” His voice echoed out over the field of the White House, out over the streets and into the ears of faraway people. “We exist, ya know! You can't ignore us forever!”

“Come on out!” she added when he appeared to be out of words for the moment. “We know you can hear us! C'mon out!”

“Lindsay...” He tugged her hand, directing her attention to a black van down the road.

She swallowed and turned back to the White House, which remained still and silent. “So soon?”

“Hey!” he yelled again, louder this time. “Hey, come and do something about this! Dammit, we can't live like this!”

And suddenly he realized how stupid he was. How stupid they looked. Screaming at the White House like they were holding a Trump Card. Truthfully, they were desperate. They were out of options. Dan and Gavin were prisoners of a war they didn't want to fight.

“Fuck me...”

...

“I mean, it kinda sucks, but it's much better than anyone was really expecting.” Dan was torn between strangling Kerry and thanking God for his imagination being worse than reality. “It's still pretty fucking scary, I mean... Hybrids disappear all the time from the cells all the time.” The shifted eyes implied there had been someone else in this cell before Dan, and Kerry seemed reluctant to think about it. “I mean, they probably got moved to another country or something, but I--” And he stopped.

Dan shifted his weight uncomfortably. They had each taken seats on top bunks and Dan encouraged Kerry to continue talking about life in the facility. It seemed that he wouldn't see much outside of this room, but if the blood sample revealed his origins, it could also be the last he saw of another person again.

So, he took his time getting to know his cellmate.

It turned out they had quite a few things in common. They both enjoyed video games and the Grand Theft Auto series (Kerry revealed he had been in the facility for several years and did not have the chance to enjoy the fifth and newest of the GTA series). He had traveled to New Zealand once with a friend and he liked to create story ideas with his friend in the cell across the hall, Miles Luna.

Dan let Kerry ramble on about ideas they dreamed up and exactly how they would plan the story to go. He also went on tangents about the characters, with Miles pipping up to toss in the odd detail, and it wasn't long before the three were heavily induced into a conversation about adventures in a fantastic world that was so far away.

While Dan couldn't understand the concept of creating something so fantastical, he could understand that being trapped in a cell for several years would inspire some creative ways to stay sane. While he considered spending years here with Kerry and Miles and intervening on their imaginary world, he knew it would only be a matter of time before he would be taken away.

“Don't worry about getting taken away, Dan,” the mouse chirped, probably upon noticing Dan's far away gaze. “I've noticed they only take the Hybrids with forty or more.”

“Forty or more?”

Kerry nodded. “Forty percent or more hybrid-iness. They can determine how much of our DNA is animal and human, and they put the number on the tag. See, come here?” Dan stood and trotted over to Kerry, who peered at the tag. “Nah, they haven't put your number yet. But, let's see here... Ears, tail. Fangs...” The mouse lifted Dan's shirt to peer at his chest and he crinkled his nose, almost perfect to his Hybrid. “Fur. You're pretty hybrid-y.”

To switch the attention, Dan yanked on Kerry's tag and pulled him closer to inspect the tag. The first number was a long combination of numbers, like a serial number. There was close to ten digits and Dan felt his stomach turn. Below the serial number was a two digit number; Thirty.

“Thirty percent Argente mouse. See? I got the two-tone right in my hair.” Parting the crown of his hair, a faint light blue was just barely visible in the light. “Two bad my eyes aren't pink. That'd be cool.” As though to suddenly remember, Kerry leaned in close to Dan's face to get a good look at his eyes, then his eyes traced down to the scar that had forced on his cheek from his battle against the ape Hybrid. “Man, you've got a lot of wolf in you, huh? I'd say at least forty... You any idea how hybrid-y you are, by any chance?”

Dan sighed and scratched the back of his head, quietly debating how to break the news. “Yeah, uh... Let's say, I'm half-authentic.”

“What, like twenty-five?”

“That's a quarter.”

Miles jumped up and grabbed the bars. “There's no such thing as a fifty-fifty hybrid. It's literally impossible. Then you start getting into bone shape and muscle density, and morphed internal organs and... You-- You'd die. That's it. A Halfie can't survive to be teenagers. They die as soon as they hit puberty.”

“Ah, ah.” Miles pulled a face to Kerry's interruption. “So we theorized.”

Dan shook his head. “You've bloody theorized this?”

“Oh, who hasn't?”

“I didn't even know there were variants of hybrids and how...hybrid-y you can be.”

Far off in the distance, the door swung open. The three of them paused and exchanged glances. “They're coming,” Kerry whispered. “Oh, shit.” He turned to Dan. “They're coming for _you_.”

A moment of silence tore between them and then Dan backed away from the cell door. “Holy shit. I...” His heart was in his throat and he couldn't gain enough distance from him and the cells. It seemed to last forever, as though the guards were aware of what Dan knew and were tormenting him with the painful passage of time.

Even with the all the other Hybrids up and down the hall, each in their own cells, whispering amongst themselves, Dan could only hear his blood pulse in his ears. Finally, he slammed a palm against his forehead, cursing himself, and the black suits, and, above all, Gavin for getting himself into this fucked up mess to begin with. “Fuck.”

He opened his eyes. The pig and the bull were back, and with a different human instead; one who most definitely was aware of the situation. Dan sighed and forced himself together, trying to gather his nerves. Whatever happened now would most likely be the end of him.

This was it.

This was absolutely the end.

The pig opened the door and the bull started over the concrete floor, only to be stopped by Kerry. The mouse stepped in between the bull and the wolf, shoulders square and fists shaking at his sides. “Go away.”

Dan shook his head and forced himself to move. “Kerry, hold on--” but he was cut off by a loud crack as the bull viciously backhanded the mouse out of the way. “Oh, God, no!” Kerry hit the ground with a great thud and grunted, dazed by the sudden impact.

Miles gripped the bars tight into fists. “Kerry!”

The bull grabbed Dan by the arms and the wolf struggled hard against the black suit, yelling and thrashing about. The pig and the Human rushed into the room to help him as quickly as Kerry rose to fight again.

Dan was thrown to the ground roughly, scrambling to get to his feet before the Human and the pig got to him, but he was far too late. With the batons drawn, he was quickly beaten to the ground again, forced to tuck in his legs and bring up his arms to protect himself. The heavy sticks laid bruises on his arms and his back, his mind drawing nothing but white pain as his ribs threatened to crack under the strength of the thrash. Once, he yelled. Twice, he regretted it.

“Stop it!” Kerry stumbled forward to grab a hold of the pig's shoulder but he was stopped instantly by the bull, who grabbed him by arm and yanked him back, whipping out the baton and baring it across the mouse's throat, pulling on both ends to choke him. Strangled noises barely passed his lips as he grabbed the baton and pulled as hard as he could to allow himself to breathe. “Shit...”

For a moment, they relented on bruising his skin and breaking his bones to pull the wolf to his feet. The pig grabbed his arms, holding them behind his back while the Human threw aside the baton and relied on his fists to continue punishing the intended target.

The silence that drew was stunningly painful, save for the dull thuds of fist against flesh and the occasional huff and groan, and it seemed to draw on forever.

Forever, because Dan refused to fall as greatly as he refused to fight. He could have held them off. He could, even at that moment, break away and drag them each into the ground. But with Kerry to his right, and Miles to his left, and Gavin either in the next room or halfway across the world... Where would he run? He couldn't leave them behind. He couldn't run now.

And, slowly, his body failed him, falling weaker with each strike as he was beaten for a crime he couldn't even remember anymore. It didn't matter. No amount of physical pain would break him, so long as he was aware just how close he was to freedom. He promised himself not to be afraid anymore. Kerry wasn't afraid. He was a mouse who stood before a bull and if that symbolism wasn't enough to prove true courage, then what did?

Finally, he collapsed to his knees and all that held him up now was the pig who held his arms. The abuse subsided and the human grasped a tight hold on his throat, lifting Dan up to look into his eyes. “I will fucking break you,” he threatened.

Dan smirked and spat in his face, a mixture of saliva and blood splattering against the Human's face like paint.

There was a moment of silence as all hybrids held their breath and waited for the response. The Human leaned back then motioned to the bull, who huffed. The pig let Dan go and the wolf fell to his hands and knees, using the moment to catch his breath. The bull tossed Kerry aside and glared hard at the mouse, who rubbed the new bruise across his neck. “No one minds one less rat in the world,” he spat but did nothing more. He returned his attention to Dan and firmly grasped one of his ankles, dragging the wolf behind him as they exited the cell.

As the bull pulled Dan out of the cell, the mouse and the wolf met eyes. Dan wondered if he would ever see those eyes again and, briefly, Dan decided Kerry would look much cooler with pink irises instead.

They continued down the hall, dragging the defeated Hybrid down the hall of cells and into the next, where they paused to continue punish the captive with batons and fists until he lost consciousness and, even then, Dan still thought the expression on the human's face upon being dirtied with blood and saliva was fucking hilarious.


	17. The Present (and the Future)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you are reading this chapter, then you have reached the end of That Which We Are. And, for that, I thank you.  
> Before we begin, however, I would like to bring to your attention that despite this particular book has finished, the story is not quite over. So, if you are reading this now, I would like to ask you stick around for the end notes for further detail on this particular writing, and writings for the future.  
> And, I would like to thank you for sticking around for this long. I hope you have enjoyed reading this story as much as I have enjoyed writing it. Again, thank you so much and congratulations on making it to the end.  
> I will no longer keep you from the story.  
> So, I present to you, the final chapter - the end - of That Which We Are.

“Hey, Gav?”

“Yeah, B? What?”

“Do you remember how we met?”

“Nah, I ain't got a clue.”

“Yeah, neither do I.”

“I was kinda hoping you would remember.”

“What?”

“You're the one who asked. I was hoping you remembered.”

“I think it was in first grade, wasn't it? I honestly forget.”

“You didn't talk much back then. I think you were scared of the guys in the black suits, you know? The ones who would come to take all the Hybrids away.”

“What are you talking about?” A nervous snicker. “I'm not scared of those guys.”

“You're a shitty liar, Dan. I know you. I know you're scared of them.”

Silence. “What about you? Aren't you scared?”

"Me? Ha! Nah. I ain't scared of them. We both know several belts of Karate. Them messing with us will be the end of them.”

Again, a snicker, but much less nervous. “You so sure about that, Gav? I think them messing with us will be the end of _us_ , don't ya think?”

“Hell, no. Ya know why, Dan?”

“Why?”

“Because we're bloody amazing. That's why. We'll be the end of them. We just haven't figured out how we're gonna do it yet.”

A tiny smile, slightly amused and maybe even hopeful. “You gonna tell me when you figure it out?”

“Nah, Dan. You'll know. Trust me. You'll know.”

...

Pain brought him back to consciousness, and a bright light seared his vision. He groaned and his head lolled from one side to the other, trying to will himself back to unconsciousness – back to a time where he could be with Gavin.

Instead, he was backhanded back to consciousness. He opened his eyes and instantly found his situation worth panic. His wrists and ankles were strapped to a metal chair and no matter how he struggled, he could not break free.

“Quit it. It's best if you save your energy.”

Dan looked up, recognizing the voice belonging to the scientist who had tagged his ear before. By this time, he imagined, they had written “fifty” on the second line under his serial number. “What...?” His voice cracked and failed, dark sleep threatening to steal him away again, but he was suddenly doused with a great amount of ice water. Unintentionally, he screamed, confusing the icy sensation for hot agony.

Now fully awake and shivering, he dared himself to take in surroundings. He was in a different room now. It stunk of blood and gore and a hundred other things he wished he didn't know was there. He had no idea which room he was in or where he was, but there was only one door into the room and it was made of metal. He would not have been surprised if it had been sound-proofed.

To his right appeared to be an operating table and every fibre of him screamed, _horror movie_ , from the dried blood on the table to the array of tools on the table. His ears folded back and he subconsciously continued to struggle, now turning his attention to his captor before him. “Relax,” said the man, who was typing away on the computer, his back facing Dan. “I'm not going to hurt you. I simply wish to talk.”

Even with the reassurance, Dan's breathing remained deep and shaky, almost on the brink of hyperventilation.

“I'm sorry about the water. I need you fully awake for this conversation. It seems my men got a little carried away.”

Dan clenched his teeth together, trying to suppress his shivering. “Y-Your...men...?”

The man turned to the wolf and tried to smile. “Yes, _my_ men.”

Despite the smirk, there was malice in his voice and Dan could not help thinking asking questions was a bad idea. And still, “Y-You're the one runnin' this p-place, ain't ya?”

“What gives you that idea?” The man turned back to his computer and continued to type. “I was in the middle of an operation,” Dan looked to the table. “when I was interrupted by some very interesting news. You, _Daniel_ , are a Perfect Hybrid. Am I wrong? Oh, may I call you Dan?”

“No, you may not,” he growled.

The man turned and frowned, but did nothing and returned his attention to his computer. “Understand, Daniel, that I am being quite hospitable at the moment. You'll have to forgive the binds, but they are to protect myself. I know you are not exactly in the best of moods.”

“Just spit it out. What do you want?”

The man sighed. “I want to know the secrets of your genetics. I want to know how you, a man born of Human parents, became a Perfect Hybrid. And, I want to know how to achieve the impossible that you have given us.” Dan's ears folded back and he swallowed hard. The man turned and approached Dan with an intense mystery. “Do you understand how fascinated I was as a child to discover the Faunas? The animal-people? The hybrid? It was a marvelous discovery. My brother's best friend was a snow leopard and I was just awed by his abilities. By his traits. By everything that a Hybrid was.

“So, I began to study on biology. On Human and animal traits, and began creating theories only when I started high school. Of course, I could not share these theories with my teachers, because we had to pretend Hybrids didn't exist. They were taboo to mention. Hybrids were hidden. But I? I was absolutely fascinated. All I wanted to do was talk about Hybrids and learn about them.

“And so, just barely out of high school, I decided to conduct an experiment. I kidnapped my brother's best friend and operated on him.”

Dan flinched and his eyes opened. “You're a fuckin' psycho!”

“You know, it's funny. That's what he said when I cut him open.” The man offered a cheerful laugh and returned to his computer. “I had theories upon theories upon theories, all of which I wanted to test and expand on. How to make humans into hybrids. How to splice animal DNA and combine it with the human ones.

“And, soon enough, I came to realize that it could be possible to make a perfect combination of human and animal. A Perfect Hybrid.

“I became obsessed with the idea. I even baited the Hybrid Location and Suppression Team with the promise of a snow leopard Hybrid. When they came to take him away, I begged them to take me with them. I told them about my research. I told them about my plans and how I could create an army of Hybrids that surpass Human strength. A powerful army of Perfect Hybrids.

“Of course, they let me experiment on Hybrids in an attempt to splice and sow together the DNA needed to create a Perfect Hybrid. But, as I researched, I discovered that no Hybrid naturally-occurring was perfectly balanced between animal and Human. They were all forty-five percent and under. Even so, that didn't stop me. I tried and tried again. I kill hundreds, even thousands of Hybrids and Humans in an attempt to create the Perfect Hybrid. And then, my first successful creation: Trevor, the Perfect Ape Hybrid.”

Dan, who had been silent in listening, thought back to the half-man, half-ape who was perfectly divided straight down the middle. Another lost battle. Dan leaned forward and spit out blood that had formed in his mouth during the speech.

And the man kept on talking, returning to his computer and typing something quickly, bringing up a picture. “The Hybrid Suppression Team was impressed with my work and Trevor was tested on the field immediately. If I recall, you and him had a spat in New Jersey. Of course, it is the artificial being that wins. However, there was a... _small_ price. While Trevor was a strong and powerful addition, he did not last long.”

The picture brought up was none more than Trevor, though hardly recognizable. He was no longer split directly down the middle, but instead the ape half took over almost all of the human side and all that remained of the humanity was a quarter of the man's face, twisted in agony.

“This shouldn't have happened. This was only three days ago.” He paused then looked down, shaking his head. “I couldn't figure out what had gone wrong. I thought I had reached the peak of my intelligence. The Suppression was going to have me executed. And then, God smiled on me and sent you. A naturally-occurring Perfect Hybrid.”

Dan shook his head, his ears folded back. “What do you want? What are you going to do?”

The man returned his gaze to Dan and approached the wolf slowly. “You understand what sort of person I am, right, Daniel? What I have done? I am going to create a Perfect Army, and you're going to help me. Now, listen, I am aware of what you have done. The Suppression is not.” He leaned close, running his fingers gently through Dan's hair and the wolf pulled away from the awkward touch. Suddenly, the man grabbed a fist full of hair and pulled him closer, leaning into his ear and whispering gently. “What you have done in a valiant attempt to save the Hybrids, to save your _friends_ , will cost you your life. You are mine.”

He let go and backed away, leaving Dan with the thoughts swirling in his mind for a moment. “You'll never...” But he couldn't find the voice to follow through with the threat.

The man turned and smiled. “Oh, yes. I am.”

...

“Fuck me...”

Far off down the road, the black suits were leaving their hatchback and approaching the Hybrid and his fiancee in the street. “Michael...”

In one last desperate attempt against the black suits, the cat turned and yelled at the top of his lungs; “For fuck's sakes, just acknowledge the Hybrids already!”

And suddenly, “Yeah, and if you could maybe work on different hospital procedures for Hybrids, that would be great, too!” The couple turned and met eyes with a rabbit in the street. Ray shrugged and flung his beanie at Michael. “What? I mean, you should get proper treatment if you get worms or something.”

Michael, out of stress and desperation, laughed. “Great, the fucking cavalry arrived. Look, it's Ray!”

“And Ryan. And Geoff. And some random chicks from the street. Yeah, the whole gang's here.”

“What the fuck?”

“It was my idea. I knew what you were going to do, and Burnie caught me on the way out and, now we're...here, because, ah, fuck it. Dan the Man's gone! There's nothing fun to do anymore.” Ray threw his arms up in the air. “And we brought some random people over because you kinda need more people to make a mob.”

Now that there was a gathering of people, others were beginning to file in to inspect the oddity in front of the White House. Some stayed and began to shout at the White House. Others stayed to shout at the protestors. The rest left in an attempt to hide, but the black suits were backing away now, unsure about how to approach the situation.

“God, Ray!” Michael cheered, grabbing the man by the shoulders and shaking him lightly. “I can't believe it. I could kiss you right now!”

“Please don't. Your future wife is right there. We can kiss later, when no one's watching.”

Lindsay brought up her arms and smiled.“No, I don't mind. Please, be my guest.”

“No more ignorance! No more fear!”

An hour hadn't passed before there was enough people to attract attention from the media. News vans and helicopters were arriving at the scene to share the news of the protest in front of the White House. And with the help of the News, more people began to file in and contribute to the revolution. Some people brought barbeques and food, others brought signs and markers. Most came to stand and chant with the others.

“No more ignorance! No more fear!”

Michael pumped a fist in the air. It was like something out of the world's cheesiest movie. “Fuck yeah!”

...

It took two years after the Hybrid Revolution (the riot started by Michael Jones and Lindsay Tuggey) before the Suppression Team was driven out of the US. Only a month later, they had also been driven out of Canada and Mexico as well.

All the bases had been located, with Meg's coordinates and Gus's help. Britain and France, and most of Europe had already begun to search for and eliminate the bases though it proved difficult without coordinates to begin with.

Within the first year of America's Hybrid Recovery, Rooster Teeth found Gavin from a base located in Rhode Island. However, despite the amount of work that the Government placed in searching for the entirety of the Suppression Team, not all Hybrids were found and some remained missing. They were either declared dead or removed from the country.

Dan was among those Hybrids.

Hybrids who had been missing for nearly decades were returned to their homes, regardless of their country of origin.

And what had been wrong with the world for so long had finally been sent right. Hybrids were given legal rights and were declared Persons under all state laws.

Almost all was right with the world.

...

_Two Years Following the Hybrid Revolution_

The piano played the familiar tune played on Bride's most important days. Michael stood in front of the alter, shifting excitedly in place. Once, he looked over his shoulder at Gavin, a groomsman who stood tall and proud for his boy. They exchanged a smile and Michael looked back to the double doors at the other end of the isle.

And then, she appeared, dressed purely in white. Michael couldn't help himself from beaming as she walked down the isle, her father holding her hand. The room was silent, save for the piano melody that flowed so gently together.

Only a few moments later, Lindsay and Michael were standing at the alter together, exchanging vows and wedding rings.

“Do you, Michael Jones, take this woman who's hand you now hold, to be your true and wedded wife until death shall part you?”

He nodded. “I do.”

“And do you, Lindsay Tuggey, take this man who's hand you now hold, to be your true and wedded husband until death shall part you?”

Almost impatient, she nodded as well. “I do.”

Gavin couldn't help the grin across his face as he watched the vows be fulfilled and the rings placed on each other's fingers. The cameras of the news crew was silent through the process, despite the excitement of wanting to give a play-by-play of the first open hybrid-human marriage since the Revolution.

“In consideration of these solemn and sacred pledges, I am authorized by the laws of the state of Texas in your marriage license and by the laws of God in His Holy Word, to pronounce you husband and wife. As I do this, let me remind you that henceforth you are one; one in interest, one in reputation and above all else one in affection. What God hath joined together, let no man part asunder.”

Michael and Lindsay shared a gaze, holding hands gently before the priest. He brought up one hand to wipe his eyes, grinning ear to ear, and Lindsay giggled at Michael's attempt to hide the joyful tears at the edges of his eyes.

The priest looked between the two of them and announced to everyone, “I present to you, Mr. And Mrs. Jones." He smiled at the couple. "You may now kiss the bride.”

The audience roared up into a round of applause as Michael pulled her close and their shared their first kiss as husband and wife.

And as Gavin applauded along with the rest of the room, he dared his gaze to wander away for a moment in search of his own girlfriend but, instead, he was met with a different set of eyes, hidden away behind the camera; a set of dark brown irises he had not seen in years and, slowly, Gavin froze, staring at the little he could see of the tall figure behind the camera.

The man stood, applauding, a wolf tail wagging freely beyond his tailored tuxedo.

And, above all, an unmistakable grin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's it.  
> Again, I thank you for finishing this story from start to finish and I hope you enjoyed it. Now, I understand you may or may not be confused by the ending. Fear not; a sequel is in the works. That's right, a sequel. Since it is still in the planning stage, it may not be released for a few months. So, for the time being, I would like you guys to keep an eye out for some of the my other works that will debut very soon, including "B, A, Select, Start", a one shot, and "Six Shots of Whiskey", a GTA!AU about criminals trying to save the world.  
> As well, do check back for the sequel, which will be called, "That Which We Become".  
> Thank you so much for staying with me the whole way! I hope to see you all again in the future, be you reading more of my stories or I reading some of yours.  
> So, happy reading, happy writing, and, above all, have yourself a happy day.  
> Bye!


End file.
